FARMINGTON — A West Bountiful man charged with multiple sex crimes involving children wants three trials on each set of charges, but prosecutors insist a new legal rule permits them to consolidate the cases.

Charles Craig Zamora, 38, is charged with two counts of sodomy on a child and aggravated sex abuse of a child in one case; two counts of rape of a child in another case; and one count of aggravated sex abuse of a child in a third case.

All charges are first-degree felonies. They involve three girls under age 14.

Second District Judge John Morris said Thursday that he will keep a June 23-24 trial date on the court calendar for now, but the judge scheduled a motion hearing for June 11 so prosecutors and defense attorneys could argue several legal points, particularly in regard to joining the cases.

Davis County prosecutor Richard Larsen said his office had initially sought to try the cases together, but at one point, withdrew that request. Later, the state Legislature enacted a new rule that permits consolidation of cases such as these.

The discussions surrounding the rule before it was enacted involved what affect it would have on a jury if it became aware of similar alleged crimes in other cases.

After the rule was changed, Davis County then sought once again to have Zamora's three cases tried together.

"We might as well combine them rather than forcing these victims, who are all under 14, to testify three times," Larsen said.

But Zamora's attorney, Ronald Fujino, has objected. Among other things, he has questions about whether this new rule can be applied retroactively. The cases filed against Zamora stem from incidents that allegedly occurred in 2005 and 2006.

Zamora is being held in the Davis County Jail on $100,000 bail.

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