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Layton man charged with 16 counts of sexual abuse, many of which involved children

Posted at 6:43 PM, Dec 19, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-19 23:48:37-05

DAVIS COUNTY, Utah — A Layton man has been charged with 16 counts of sexual abuse, many of them involving children, and all of which occurred between 2001 and as recently as 2015.

Brett Orton, 44, is charged with six counts of sodomy on a child, four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, two counts of rape, two counts of forcible sodomy and two counts of forcible sexual abuse.

Sodomy on a child, aggravated sexual abuse of a child, rape and forcible sodomy are all first-degree felonies. Orton faces 25 years to life in jail if convicted.

Court documents contain police interviews with six different victims who Orton molested. Victim 1 is now an adult male, who said he was sexually abused by Orton when the victim was 12 years old, in 2003. Victim 1 referred to an incident involving a second victim as well.

The second victim, a female, told police she estimated she was sexually abused by Orton hundreds of times, with the abuse starting when she was 12 years old and continuing until she was an adult, according to court documents.

Victim 2 also told police Orton threatened to hurt her or her family if she told anyone about the abuse. According to court documents, victim two said Orton would give her money after he molested her.

Court documents state a third victim had a similar experience to Victim 2, with Orton’s abuse beginning when she was just 13 years old. Like Victim 2, Victim 3 told police Orton threatened to harm her or her family if she told anyone about the abuse, and he paid her after molesting her.

Victim 3 told police the abuse continued until she was in her 20’s, and according to court documents, Victim 3 said Orton continues to contact her, asking her to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money.

A fourth victim, now an adult, said Orton attempted to abuse her as a teen, offering her money to allow him to perform sexual acts on her.  Court documents state Victim 4 said Orton continued to ask her to perform sexual acts in exchange for money as recently as within the last year.

According to court documents, Orton molested a fifth victim when she was a teenager, and told her not to say anything about the incident.

A sixth victim told police that when she was 14, she was at a home with Victim 2 when Orton gave her and Victim 2 alcohol. Court documents state Victim 2 became ill, so Victim 6 was alone with Orton, who asked if he could perform a sexual act on her. Victim 6 told police she told Orton “no” and nothing happened.

Orton’s bail is set at $100,000. He is not yet scheduled to appear in court.