'Diaper Boy' accused of lewdness, faces trial

The man who police call "Diaper Boy" because of a children's diaper he wears and allegedly exposes to children, has been ordered to stand trial.

In May, Barton Bagnes, 31, was charged in 3rd District Court with sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of dealing in harmful materials to a minor and two counts of lewdness by a sex offender involving a child.

Late last week, a judge found there was enough evidence during a preliminary hearing to bind Bagnes over for trial.

On May 8, Bagnes was accused of approaching two 8-year-old girls near 10300 South and 800 East, pulling his pants down to his thighs while pulling his shirt up and revealing a child's diaper that had an image of the "Sesame Street" TV-show character Elmo on the front, according to court documents. He also allegedly handed out fliers advertising a Web site that included numerous pictures of children, from toddlers to prepubescent teens, all wearing diapers, some in provocative poses.

During the preliminary hearing, both girls testified, and a copy of the flier was presented as evidence.

Bagnes has been arrested in the past and is a registered sex offender, but many of his recent arrests have not held up.

He was convicted of two misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child in 1999 and again pleaded guilty to misdemeanor lewdness involving a child in 2000, according to court records.

But in 2007, Bagnes was charged with 11 misdemeanor counts of lewdness involving a child and then later that same year, in a separate incident, with three felony counts of lewdness involving a child. All charges were eventually dismissed.

A pre-trial conference was held Thursday. The defense noted to the court that it planned to file a motion to quash the decision to bind over for trial.

Bagnes has remained in the Salt Lake County Jail since his arrest May 14. A trial date had not been set as of Thursday.

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com