Tanner Dobson, former Ogden day care employee, sentenced to maximum for sexual abuse of a child

Editor’s note: This article clarifies that Denise Carlos has no ownership in Elite Gymnastics.

OGDEN — A former day care employee accused of using his workplace to repeatedly abuse young children was given the maximum possible sentence of 15 consecutive years to life for aggravated sexual abuse and child exploitation.

Tanner Dobson, 30, has been behind bars since January 2024 when he was arrested for the investigation of abuse of a 5-year-old girl who was a student at the facility.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the Ogden Second District courtroom after the little girl’s parents stood up to read some of the horrendous sex crimes Tanner Dobson committed against her.

Dobson’s videos and photos could still be out there

The parents claim that Tanner Dobson called their daughter his “naughty girl,” and filmed inappropriate photos and videos of her. They say the photos and videos could still be out there for other predators to see.

To keep the child quiet, Dobson allegedly told her he would show the whole world her exploitative photos. It’s just one of the horrors that the unnamed 5-year-old girl went through at the hands of Dobson, according to her parents.

The disturbing impact statements moved the state’s prosecution to tears.

“I think it is clear, and I contend that it is clear Mr. Dobson is a monster,” said Nicholas Caine, prosecutor for Weber County.

Mercy for Dobson

Defense attorney Roy Cole asked Judge Christina Ortega for mercy in Tanner Dobson’s case, claiming that the day care employee showed good behavior and remorse for his actions.

“When I first met Tanner, what I found was a young man who was sitting in a jail cell feeling suicidal and was not happy with himself,” he said.

But Caine argued Dobson was so calculated, that Dobson went as far as taking courses on grooming. Once he was caught, Caine said there was no attempt to make things right.

“He didn’t say, ‘Here’s all the images I took of her. Here’s what I did. Please help me get out of this rut that he claims he was in.’ No, no. He reset his phone to hide what he had done,” Caine said.

Even more disturbing was the fact that Dobson said he chose his victim for her intelligence and likelihood of telling on him.

“To say that he was in a rut in his life, and the only way to get out of it was to go touch a 5-year-old little girl so he could get caught is a psychological impairment I can’t understand,” Caine said.

Dobson has had more than one accuser

According to a recent lawsuit filed, Progressive Preschool partnered with Elite Gymnastics to provide classes to children that attended the preschool. The lawsuit claims Dobson was given unfettered access to children for years despite multiple reports being filed with similar claims of abuse.

“He did it under the eyes of his own family, friends and employers,” Caine said.

Another alleged victim’s parent claims Dobson’s mother and day care co-owner, Jaime Bitton, was made aware yet did not take proper action to stop him.

“She knew it was happening, and she should not be running a day care,” said Sierra Farley, the mother of a little girl who formerly attended the day care and claims to have been assaulted.

Bitton has never agreed to comment her side on the matter.

‘He needs to take responsibility for them all’

Sierra Farley said she has seen her daughter and another minor family member in videos police have shown her. But over a year after re-opening their cases, Farley said they have yet to press charges. Farley said the cases were closed due to what police called a “lack of evidence.”

“He needs to take responsibility for all of his victims,” Farley said.

Dobson had three letters written in his support asking the judge for mercy. One of them was from his mother, who still runs Progressive Preschool. Another was from his grandmother.

South Ogden police said they could not comment on the state of the other alleged victim’s cases pending investigation.

Dobson will owe the victim’s family in this case just under $9,000 in restitution.

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Related: Advocates rally for more child care funding in Utah

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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).