Utah County ritualistic sex abuse case moves forward - Axios Salt Lake CityLog InLog InAxios Salt Lake City is an Axios company.

Utah County ritualistic sex abuse case moves forward

Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith he arrested a former therapist, David Hamblin, in a "ritualistic child sex abuse" case. The case also led to disputed claims of rape and cannibalism against recently unseated county prosecutor David Leavitt. But the arrest documents focus almost entirely on allegations that Hamblin assaulted three children, with no discussion of a ring of "ritualistic" abuse. Catch up quick: Hamblin was linked to a multicounty investigation that Smith in May, saying his office had confirmed some decades-old allegations of ritualistic abuse and child trafficking.That day, a fugitive Leavitt was trying to prosecute posted online that Smith's office had leaked evidence Leavitt was involved in the ritualistic abuse.Amid that Leavitt and his wife were involved with cannibalism and sex abuse, Leavitt in a report from that period and denied the allegation. The big picture: Smith, a critic of Leavitt, announced the abuse investigation less than a month before the GOP primary.Leavitt claimed the allegations were part of a ploy to derail . He called for an investigation into whether Smith had leaked the report accusing him as an accomplice of Hamblin.Leavitt was also attacked by an array of right-wing operators, who Leavitt would open the state to drug cartels and sex trafficking rings. Context: The political right of rampant child sex trafficking to energize base voters. Of note: Leavitt, who is still serving as the county attorney, is not prosecuting the case against Hamblin. The state attorney general's office appointed the Juab County attorney as special prosecutor, according to Hamblin's arrest records. Details: Arrest documents obtained by Axios detail a rape report made in April by a woman who was Hamblin's neighbor in the 1980s, when she was 6 or 7 years old. She reported three assaults by him, including one where two other children were also assaulted and another where he was joined by an unnamed woman.The two other children identified in the first allegation corroborated the woman's statement, police wrote. Yes, and: Fox 13 Hamblin also faces abuse allegations from family members as well as at least one patient who said Hamblin performed anti-gay conversion therapy on him.The new arrest documents allege Hamblin continues to perform "therapy" without a license "under the guise of 'healing circles'" — but they don't describe associated ritual abuse. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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