New sex abuse charge filed against GOP activist Greg Peterson

HEBER CITY — On the eve of his preliminary hearing in Salt Lake County on accusations of sexually assaulting multiple women, a new charge has been filed against GOP activist Greg Peterson.

On Monday, the Wasatch County Attorney's Office filed one count of forcible sex abuse, a second-degree felony, against Peterson. The incident allegedly happened in the spring of 2010.

Peterson invited a woman to his cabin in Wasatch County for lunch, according to charges filed in 4th District Court. After lunch, he invited her upstairs to his bedroom to watch a movie.

While watching the movie, Peterson began kissing the woman and then exposed himself and forced her to touch him, the charges state. The woman pulled away and "stood up, putting her hand on the holster of her gun" and told him he needed to take her home.

Police say Peterson then took the woman back to Utah County.

A two-day preliminary hearing is scheduled to start Tuesday on allegations that Peterson raped or sexually assaulted four other women. At least two of the victims said their assaults also happened at Peterson's Heber City cabin.

The Wasatch County Sheriff's Office had previously stated that three women had stepped forward since Peterson's arrest in Salt Lake County making similar allegations.

One of the alleged victims in Peterson's Salt Lake case originally had her case screened in Wasatch County, but prosecutors there declined to file charges.

E-mail: preavy@desnews.com

Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam