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SANDY MAN TO BE SENTENCED ON MULTIPLE CHILD PORN & WEAPONS CHARGES
A Sandy man will be sentenced tomorrow on 16 felony child pornography and weapons charges. Wayne Jay Bergeson, 55, was convicted by a jury in October of eleven second-degree felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and five second-degree felony counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person. Bergeson was convicted in 1980 of forcible sex abuse and kidnapping.
According to court documents, the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force had to make a forced entry into Bergeson’s home after receiving information that he was downloading child pornography. During the search of the home ICAC agents found five guns and ammunition. They also found numerous child pornography videos that included bestiality and sexual abuse with children as young as two years old.
Bergeson said he kept child pornography as a novelty and he did not think anyone would ever come look for his guns. Bergeson could not possess weapons because he was a convicted felon but he was not on the Sex Offender Registry because his convictions occurred before the registry laws were in place.
Bergeson could face one-to-15 years in prison for each conviction. The case was investigated by Salt Lake City Police Detective Mark Buhman and Agent Rachelle Reynolds and prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Paul Amann and Peter “Rocky” Rognlie, all members of the Utah ICAC Task Force.
A jail booking photo of Bergeson can be found on the gallery page.
Tips about protecting children online and more information about the Utah ICAC Task Force can be found at http://www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/internet_safety.html.
What: Sentencing of Wayne Jay Bergeson
When: 9:00 a.m., Friday, January 16, 2008
Where: Judge Judith Atherton courtroom, Matheson Courthouse,
450 South State, Salt Lake City
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