Man pleads guilty in Liberty Park child sex assault

Published: Tuesday, Jan. 31 2012 5:34 p.m. MST

Summary

A man accused of grabbing and sexually assaulting a child at Liberty Park has pleaded guilty to one of two charges leveled against him.

SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused of grabbing and sexually assaulting a child at Liberty Park has pleaded guilty to one of two charges leveled against him.

Brandon Lee Elder, 26, pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, in 3rd District Court Monday. In exchange for the man's plea, a second count of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony, was dismissed.

Police say Elder hid in the bushes near an area of the park where children play in the water and grabbed a 5-year-old girl by the head and pulled her toward him. The obstruction charge was filed because Elder disposed of his clothing to avoid being discovered.

Sentencing in the case has been scheduled for March 12.

— Emiley Morgan, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam

Comments

Leave a comment »

DeseretNews.com encourages a civil dialogue among its readers. We welcome your thoughtful comments.
— About comments

About the Author

Emiley Morgan

Emiley Morgan is a reporter for the Deseret News covering police and the state courts in the integrated News Division. She worked as an intern in the Features department before joining the City desk in 2009. Before her more ..

What You May Have Missed