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Show Thursday -- lHthYear-No.7- September 5, 2002 5VT : Vf &! ?28gSS y Price, Utah 2 V"jV m,3 ' ..' jfl. ' 500 Vikings gearing up for season, 6 '" . Former pastor pleads guilty to sexually abusing children of judgment in Gomez1 first By LYNNDA JOHNSON Sun Advocate editor de-gr- w felony criminal convictions on Nov. 7. In exchange for the defendants nine guilty pleas, Judge Biyner granted a joint prosecution defense motion and dismissed the 1 1 remaining first degree counts contained in the felony level complaint filed against the former pastor. At the conclusion of the Sept 3 felony arraignment proceeding. Judge Biyner remanded the defendant bade into the custody of the Carbon County Jafl. Law enforcement authorities arrested the former pastor on June 28 and, at Gomez initial court appearance on Jufy 26, Judge Biyner ordered foe defendant detained at the county jail without bail. On Aug. 7, the East Carbon resident waived foe right to hearing in the criminal complaint and the district court ordered the former pastor bound over to answer 20 first degree counts at felony arraignment Dated July 23, the original criminal information contended that Gomez committed the first degree offenses against multiple On TUesday, the former pastor of aHelper church pleaded guilty to sexually victimizing children. Gomez ap; Renein Anthony the of the Carcustody peared bon County Sheriffs Office at in the felony level criminal complaint on Sept 3. Judge Bryce K. Biyner presided on the 7th District Court bench and Carbon County Attorney Gene Strate acted on behalf of the state prosecutors office. 1 Public defender David Allred repEast Carresented the bon resident at the criminal proceeding. Pursuant to a negotiated reso- lution arrangement, Gomez Waived all constitutional rights in the felony level case and the former pastor pleaded guilty on liiesday to nine separate first degree counts - eight sodomy on a child charges and one aggravated sexual abuse of a child offense. The court reviewed Gomez1 aprc-limina- legal rights and advised die defendant regarding the penalties on the first degree felony ry victims from October 2000 through June 2002. ' The complaint charged the former pastor with eight first degree aggravated sexual abuse of a counts before accepting the former pastors guilty pleas cm die nine first degree counts. Judge Biyner directed foe Utah Department of Corrections child counts along with 12 sodomy on a child felony level of- investigation in foe matter and submit recommendations to the court before tentatively scheduling pronouncement fenses. identified the alleged victims as children younger than the age of 14 years old. In connection with the aggravated abuse charges, the criminal information argued that the defendant occupied a position of special trust when the former pastor allegedly took indecent liberties not amounting to rape or caused the children to engage in acts designed to arouse or gratify sexual ! desires. Due to the fact that the aggravated sexual abuse and sodomy charges involved several minors, the felony level complaint identified the alleged victims by initials rather than feting die names of foe children. The maximum penalties the district court may impose in first degree felony sodomy on a child criminal convictions include fines of up to $10J)00 along with indeterminate or ar to life sentences in the Utah State Prison. Penalties imposable in first degree felony level aggravated sexual, child convictions inabuse dude monetary assessments of up to $1QJXX) and indeterminate five- year to life incarceration periods in the state prison. Pursuant to Utahs criminal statutes, accused offenders convicted of committing first degree felony level sodontyandfor aggravated sexual abuse of a child charges face mandatary 10-ye- ar six-ye- art .! - Ff 15-ye- Suspected meth lab discovered at scene of Wellington fire warrant and the authorities executed the warrant the afternoon of Sept 4. The search yielded what authorities suspected to be a large methamphetamine lab tion. Taken into custody and booked into the Carbon County Jail on charges stemming from the incident was Terry Gibson, age 36 of Wellington. The county's task force sealed off the residence and contacted the state's drug enforcement agency. Investigators from the state arrived at the scene later Wednesday afternoon. Match books sit on top of a pile of evidence collected tty local law enforcement officers investigating a suspected clandestine drug lab in Wellington. Fire fighters re- to the location on east Main following a public safety dispatch Wednesday morning. But after the crews arrived, a male subject reportedly claimed that the fire was out and prevented emergency personnel from enter- mgthe private residence. The suspicious circumstances prompted law enforcement officials to secure a search opera-spond- ed drug-relat- ed The felony level criminal case X Report addresses factors in Utah economic contraction Utah has started to experience during the last decade. Births accontraction and analysts expect counted for approximately 60 the states economy to continue percent of the expansion. The rate of job growth in Utah to moderately decline in the near future. But Utahs demographic peaked in 19& at 6.2 percent in characteristics and diversified in1994 before slowing to an estimated 0.6 percent in 2001, notes dustrial structure will position emfoe state for economic the report well being, predicts the latest reployers added 6,700 net positions in 2001, constituting Utahs port to the governor. slowest job expansion since 1983. Utah continues to post population growth consistent with the While only 'a fraction of the 3.5 percent avlevels registered during the late states 1990s. In feet, Utah consistently erage job growth, Utahs expanranks among the fastest growing sion registered higher than the in tire States. United rate posted nationwide. regions According to the state popuUnemployment in Utah rose lation estimates committee, the slightly to an estimated 4.4 pertotal number of Utahns reached cent in 2001, adds the report. 295,971 in 2001, for a 22 per- Joblessness in Utah was lower cent increase or 49,417 residents than the national 4.8 percent rate. 2000. to compared Employment growth in Utahs Census 2000 results indicate major industry sectors were Utahs population has jumped mixed last year, ranging from a nearly 30 percent since 1990, ' decline of 3.4 percent in manu-- . explains the report to the goverfeaturing and 1 percent loss in nor. Utah ranked as the fourth construction to a 4.6 percent in- -. ' fastest growing state in the nation (Continued on page 2) long-ter- m long-ter- -- 'Sa IV Motorists traveling on local roads urged to remain alert for construction crews The growing season may be winding down, but county and state maintenance crews are still operating mowing equipment along many roads hi the area. ; While the majority spoit a slow moving vehicle emblem on the back, some heavy equipment may not have the signs. Motorists should pay dose attention ;1 when approaching the vehicles. Crews generally set up signs to warn motor- - ists. But the actual construction sites may (be located at a considerable distance from the andmotorists frequently neglect to exercise caution if they dont see machines or crews working within a few hundred yards. Operators indicate that motorists who cut too closeiy to the equipment or come up on the construction work too test are one of the biggest safety concerns crews face. sps m issue in county development in Carbon County places the choice of use or nonwas in its infancy. Supplies of use of gas with each individual natural gas that Mountain Fuel tystem, stated the council. .Recent disputes between land The vote was unanimous. But projected for the county were to be brought in from oil fields in at die council meeting, a petition and mineral rights owners and companies exploring for coal verting propane equipment to the Uintah Basin and Wyoming. was submitted by the Price City In March 1966 after reviewCitizens Committee protesting a bed methane are only the latest natural gas operated heating deissues to arise involving the revices. ing publje opinion, the Price franchise. Members (ff the group But Carbon County and, in council adopted an ordinance informed foe council that ansource in Carbon County. . During the years, methane gas particular, the Price city market that would eventually allow other petition with the correct Mountain Fuel to put in lines number of signatures would be has developed into one of the , at which Mountain Fuel was aimits main thrust in area. were diffeand supply natural gas to customindustries the ing major forthcoming to force a refereners within foe citys boundaries. dum on the issue. Methane has gone from being a rent The local area was signifiThe council published a stateMayor Murray Mathis advised problem in coal mines, where it cantly dependent on coal and foe the group that, ff foe petition creates dangerous situations, to operations affiliated with the re- ment after foe meeting, coman asset the county has groomed source in the early 1960s. menting on the fact foe debate were filed within 30 days before While the large markets for had gone on for years. as a revenue source. the.franchise took affect, a refers, coal were foe main consumer of . In the late 1930s and Our purpose in deferring the endum would be conducted. He the idea of using the gas the Carbon County resource, granting of a franchise to the gas said it would take 332 signatures in mines for productive purposes some people felt that changing company originally was toobtain to put the matter on a ballot. was far from peoples minds. In ' to natural gas would reduce cona true picture of the will of the During the same time period, fact, a fight was going on between sumption and sendamessage that people, be it far a referendum Mountain ifael was trying to obcoal should not be the source of election or by an impartial surtains ordinance for a franchise proponents of coal heat and individuals wanting to use natural heqt, thereby reducing the dein HelperBut Helper officials vey, which would reveal the opinion of foe majority of the people, did not agree with provisions gas in homes as well as busi- - mand for the product Conversion to natural gas in noted foe council. included in the companys franthe 1940s affected the oral inQuestar predecessor MounDuring foe preceding months, chise and rejected this proposal tain Fuel Supply was in the mode dustry since most of foe supplies foe Price council had been conIn the next month, the Price of expanding service to small, for homes and businesses along tacted by hundreds of citizens City Citizens Committee coltowns in the state sway from the the Whsatch Root had been sup- voicing opinions. The officials lected signatures and submitted Wksatch Front. Fully, 90 percent plied from the Carbon-Emer- y felt foe city had heard from a petition with almost 400 names, of the homes and businesses in area. Hie situation concerned enough people to make a deci- exceeding the percentage of the o areas residents who made their livings sion and foe decision was to grant A245 registered voters in the foeOgdea-Sadty had bear converted to gas since in the coal mining industry. the franchise. required to force a vote on foe At foe time, coalbed methane This (enactment), in effect, (Continued on page 3A) company was looking to grow in new markets. Many small towns in Utah jumped on the bandwagon, tossing out coal furnaces and con- By RICHARD SHAW Staff reporter ' . . . -- . mid-1960- h Lake-Prov- UTTr-- r v Thunderstorms create flash flood risk 1 Water from a til undentonti in the Book Cliffs flows under the Creeii Wash bridge. The local forecast includes the possibility of substantial rain and Cartxxi residents should recognize the dangers created by flash floods. . - , t |