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Police: Utah man arrested after admitting he had sex with two 15-year-old girls

Posted at 5:10 PM, Jan 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-31 23:34:59-05

WEBER COUNTY, Utah — Police arrested a man on January 10 after he admitted to having sex with two different 15-year-old girls.

Paul Richard Protzman, 23, faces 13 third-degree felony charges, 10 counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and three counts of dealing in harmful material to a minor.

According to court documents, an officer responded to a report of a sex offense at an Ogden residence in August 2018. A woman met with the officer and told the officer she suspected her 15-year-old daughter was having sex with Protzman.

The mother of the victim told police she had found a phone Protzman had given to her daughter. The phone was turned over to police.

On January 9 of this year, police interviewed the 15-year-old, who admitted Protzman had sent her nude pictures via text message. The 15-year-old girl also told police Protzman was having sex with another 15-year-old, court documents state.

The next day, Officer Brian Schultz, who interviewed the 15-year-old, learned Protzman had been picked up by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office for making suicidal threats to the second 15-year-old, according to court documents. Court documents state Protzman had a handgun in his possession when he was picked up by law enforcement, with multiple loaded clips.

Protzman was taken to a hospital for evaluation and was cleared, after which Schultz went to the hospital to request an interview with Protzman. According to court documents, Protzman agreed to be interviewed at the South Ogden Police Department and waived his Miranda rights.

Court documents state that in the course of his interview, Protzman admitted to having sex with the first 15-year-old over 20 times between June 16, 2018, and November 2018 at various locations in Weber County, including the victim’s house. He also admitted in the interview to sending nude pictures of himself to the first 15-year-old on at least three different occasions.

According to court documents, Weber County Sheriff’s Office is working a separate case involving Protzman, where the second 15-year-old told police Protzman raped her. Court documents state that in the interview with Schultz, Protzman admitted to having sex with the second 15-year-old.

Before his arrest, court documents state Protzman made several threats via email, stating “Rumors need to be silenced, or he will silence them himself,” causing the family members of the first 15-year-old victim to be concerned for their safety.

Protzman is currently being held in the Weber County Jail. His bail is set at $60,000.