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St. Anne's trio hit with more charges

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St. Anne's trio hit with more charges

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Prosecutors add sexual assault charges to list of charges against security guards who terrorized 38 trespassing teenagers at St. Anne's retreat.
St. Anne’s trio hit with more charges - Prosecutors add sexual assault to list
By Ryan Robb Oliver
Staff writer

Additional criminal charges were filed Monday in 1st District Court against three men accused of terrorizing 38 teen-agers and young adults at the St. Anne’s Retreat in Logan Canyon on Oct. 10.

John Jeppson of Pocatello, Idaho, Christopher Doer [Doerr] and Arthur Peasnall, both of Tooele County, were charged with forcible sexual abuse in addition to the six charges of aggravated assault that had been filed against each of them in October.

A preliminary hearing on all seven charges against the three men has been set for Wednesday in 1st District Court.

Cache County Deputy Attorney Don Linton said the latest sex abuse charges stem from an investigation into a statement by one of the teen-agers who said Jeppson had felt her breasts with his hands under her shirt and on top of her bra. Jeppson told police he was checking her for weapons, according to a Cache County sheriff’s report.

The three men were arrested after a sheriff’s investigation determined they had gone too far when they detained eight trespassers at the St. Anne’s property on the morning of Oct. 10 and 30 more trespassers later in the evening.

Then teen-agers and young adults said they went onto the property in search of a Halloween thrill. After entering the gates they said, they were detained by the three men, who were yelling threats and wielding shotguns with flashlights taped to the barrels. In both instances, the trespassers were bound with cords around their necks and handcuffed. The latter group would be placed in an empty swimming pool until deputy sheriffs arrived.
The St. Anne’s Retreat property is owned by four people from outside Cache County. Jeppson was allowed to use it in exchange for helping maintain the grounds.

Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt has said he doesn’t intend to call all 38 alleged victims to testify in court. Instead, Wyatt said he’ll call a few people to testify on several specific criminal acts that allegedly took place.

A sheriff’s report based on interviews with the trio and the trespassers alleges the following took place that day in addition to the sexual assault:

-Jeppson placed a revolver to one woman’s head, threatened to kill her, moved the gun away from her head and then fired it.

-The three men fired their shotguns at or near the trespassers and threatened to kill them by “blowing their heads off.” Jeppson fired one shot at a tree, which showered several people forced to lie under it with debris. He told them if they didn’t believe that he would kill them, they could look at the 6-inch hole put in the tree.

-One juvenile was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion after he was struck in the head with the butt of a shotgun by one of the men.

-Another juvenile was told to spread her legs while being held at gunpoint and then kicked in the crotch.

-A juvenile was held by her hair by one of the men and had her head yanked back, aggravating a previous spinal condition.

-A male juvenile was punched in the mouth by one of the men holding him at gunpoint.

The three men have since been released on bail from the Cache County Jail. Misdemeanor trespass charges were originally filed against the juveniles and young adults but were later dropped by Wyatt at the request of the property owners.

Wyatt was criticized in the community for dropping the charges by many people who said the actions the three men took were a reasonable and prudent response for dealing with trespassers on a property all too often plagued by vandals.

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Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections and Archives, FOLK COLL 32

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Reproduction for publication, exhibition, web display or commercial use is only permissible with the consent of the USU Libraries Special Collections and Archives, phone (435) 797-2663.

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Utah State University Folklore in the news collection, 1973-2012, FOLK COLL 32
http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv04849
St. Anne's Retreat

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http://digital.lib.usu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16944coll20/id/39
SCAFOLK032Bx003Fd07Item0033.pdf

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Text

St. Anne’s trio hit with more charges - Prosecutors add sexual assault to list
By Ryan Robb Oliver
Staff writer

Additional criminal charges were filed Monday in 1st District Court against three men accused of terrorizing 38 teen-agers and young adults at the St. Anne’s Retreat in Logan Canyon on Oct. 10.

John Jeppson of Pocatello, Idaho, Christopher Doer [Doerr] and Arthur Peasnall, both of Tooele County, were charged with forcible sexual abuse in addition to the six charges of aggravated assault that had been filed against each of them in October.

A preliminary hearing on all seven charges against the three men has been set for Wednesday in 1st District Court.

Cache County Deputy Attorney Don Linton said the latest sex abuse charges stem from an investigation into a statement by one of the teen-agers who said Jeppson had felt her breasts with his hands under her shirt and on top of her bra. Jeppson told police he was checking her for weapons, according to a Cache County sheriff’s report.

The three men were arrested after a sheriff’s investigation determined they had gone too far when they detained eight trespassers at the St. Anne’s property on the morning of Oct. 10 and 30 more trespassers later in the evening.

Then teen-agers and young adults said they went onto the property in search of a Halloween thrill. After entering the gates they said, they were detained by the three men, who were yelling threats and wielding shotguns with flashlights taped to the barrels. In both instances, the trespassers were bound with cords around their necks and handcuffed. The latter group would be placed in an empty swimming pool until deputy sheriffs arrived.
The St. Anne’s Retreat property is owned by four people from outside Cache County. Jeppson was allowed to use it in exchange for helping maintain the grounds.

Cache County Attorney Scott Wyatt has said he doesn’t intend to call all 38 alleged victims to testify in court. Instead, Wyatt said he’ll call a few people to testify on several specific criminal acts that allegedly took place.

A sheriff’s report based on interviews with the trio and the trespassers alleges the following took place that day in addition to the sexual assault:

• Jeppson placed a revolver to one woman’s head, threatened to kill her, moved the gun away from her head and then fired it.
• The three men fired their shotguns at or near the trespassers and threatened to kill them by “blowing their heads off.” Jeppson fired one shot at a tree, which showered several people forced to lie under it with debris. He told them if they didn’t believe that he would kill them, they could look at the 6-inch hole put in the tree.
• One juvenile was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion after he was struck in the head with the butt of a shotgun by one of the men.
• Another juvenile was told to spread her legs while being held at gunpoint and then kicked in the crotch.
• A juvenile was held by her hair by one of the men and had her head yanked back, aggravating a previous spinal condition.
• A male juvenile was punched in the mouth by one of the men holding him at gunpoint.

The three men have since been released on bail from the Cache County Jail. Misdemeanor trespass charges were originally filed against the juveniles and young adults but were later dropped by Wyatt at the request of the property owners.

Wyatt was criticized in the community for dropping the charges by many people who said the actions the three men took were a reasonable and prudent response for dealing with trespassers on a property all too often plagued by vandals.

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