Judge rules in case of former charter school director accused of sexually abusing special needs student

FARMINGTON, UTAH— A judge has decided on punishment for a former Utah charter school director accused of sexually abusing a special needs student. The abuse was before he pled guilty in federal court to having thousands of inappropriate images of children.

Jared Buckley, 41, was arrested last year after federal authorities said he had, “well over” 10,000 inappropriate images and videos of child sex abuse material.

Other reading: Wildfire grows to 1,100 acres in Iron County; some evacuations remain in place

According to court documents obtained by KSL, several months after Buckley was arrested and charged in federal court, a former special needs student at Leadership Learning Academy in Layton came forward and told Layton Police that Buckley sexually abused him several years prior.

Charging documents indicate the boy was 17 when he and his parents came forward, but he was 12 years old when they say the abuse happened.

Buckley is accused of entering the school bathroom where the boy was, pulling the boy’s pants down and touching the child’s genitals. He also “kissed the victim on the lips,” according to the charging documents, and told the boy he would get detention if he told anyone what happened.

Victim’s family speaks in court

Buckley appeared before a judge in a Farmington courthouse for sentencing on Wednesday where he had to stand in front of the victim’s father and mother.

As Buckley stood next to his attorney, silent in his striped jail jumpsuit and shackles, the victim’s father spoke on behalf of his son.

The father commended his son’s bravery for telling both his parents and police what happened, and he said he was grateful justice was finally being served in this case.

The mother of the boy opted not to speak. Another victim listened from another room to avoid being in the courtroom with Buckley.

The judge gave Buckley the opportunity to speak as well, but he declined.

The judge ultimately decided to close the case under the recommendation put forward by both the prosecution and the defense.

Buckley pled guilty and agreed to serve 30 years in prison in the federal case, and the judge decided not to add more prison time at the state level even those aggravated sexual abuse of a child is punishable by up to life in prison.

The judge also issued a protective order for the victim and his family, prohibiting Buckley from having any contact with them.

Child abuse resources

• Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).

Help with Children

Those who feel stressed out with a child, who need a break or who feel like they need counseling or training can reach out to one of the following agencies:

• The Family Support Center has 15 locations throughout the state and offers a free crisis nursery for parents who have to keep appointments or who are stressed out. They also offer counseling and family mentoring. Call 801-955-9110 or visit familysupportcenter.org/contact.php for more information.
• Prevent Child Abuse Utah provides home visiting in Weber, Davis, and Box Elder counties. Parent Educators provide support, education, and activities for families with young children. Their statewide education team offers diverse trainings on protective factors, digital safety, bullying, and child sex trafficking. They are available for in-person or virtual trainings and offer free online courses for the community at pcautah.org.
• The Office of Home Visiting works with local agencies to provide home visits to pregnant women and young families who would like to know more about being parents. Home visitors are trained and can provide information about breastfeeding, developmental milestones, toilet training, nutrition, mental health, home safety, child development, and much more. Find out more at homevisiting.utah.gov.
• The Safe Haven law allows birth parents in Utah to safely and anonymously give up custody of their newborn child at any hospital in the state, with no legal consequences and no questions asked. The child’s mother can drop off the child, or the mother can ask someone else to do it for her. The newborns should be dropped off at hospitals that are open 24 hours a day. Newborns given up in this manner will be cared for by the hospital staff, and the Utah Division of Child and Family Services will find a home for the child. For more information, visit utahsafehaven.org or call the 24-hour hotline at 866-458-0058.

CSAM prevention resources and victim recovery

• The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children provides support to children who are victims of child sexual exploitation through emotional peer support for families, content removal of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and help getting connected to therapists and attorneys. The NCMEC also provides a CyberTipline where CSAM can be reported. Visit https://www.missingkids.org/gethelpnow/csam-resources for more information. 
• The Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force hosts a hub of resources for parents and offers local help to cases involving child sexual exploitation. 
• RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) provides a guide of safety measures to take in order to prevent children from being targeted in CSAM cases. 
• Thorn nonprofit organization creates products and programs that combat child sexual abuse at scale. It provides resources for families to help them identify the possible ways children can be exploited online, giving them proper terminology and statistics to keep them educated. For more information, visit https://www.thorn.org/research/child-sexual-abuse-material-csam/ 
• Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online: udvc.org. The statewide child abuse and neglect hotline is 1-855-323-DCFS (3237).

 

Follow @AdamSmallKSL