Not what the LDS had in mind....
Posted on 07/26/2007 8:59:41 AM PDT by Gamecock
PROVO — A man who digitally created pornography by using his computer to attach facial images of family and members of his LDS Church ward to other people's bodies will spend time behind bars after all.
Fourth District Court Judge Claudia Laycock on Wednesday sentenced Lance Rushton, 37, to 45 days in Utah County Jail and 45 days of wearing an ankle-monitoring GPS bracelet.
Wednesday's sentencing comes nearly a month after Laycock rejected a sentence recommendation of a GPS bracelet but no jail time.
Rushton is to appear at the Utah County Jail on Aug. 18 and will begin the GPS monitoring system after he is released from jail.
Laycock also ordered Rushton to write letters of apology to victims and submit them to Adult Probation and Parole for approval. Adult Probation and Parole will send them to the victims.
"You would be responsible to pay the therapy costs for the victims as necessary," she said.
Rushton agreed to a plea deal in which he pleaded guilty to three counts of distributing pornographic material, a third-degree felony.
As a result of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped charges of pornography distribution involving children, said Rushton's attorney, Mike Esplin.
Rushton uploaded pictures of family and ward members to the Internet. The faces were manipulated to fit onto the bodies of other people in sexually explicit positions.
The pictures had been online for at least a year, according to an affidavit.
"I just can't understand" the motive for uploading the pictures, Laycock said.
Her words were less harsh than last month's court appearance when she likened the crime to child abuse and explained why she rejected the sentence recommendation of no jail time.
She indicated last month that she wanted Rushton in jail but delayed sentencing until Wednesday to allow Rushton to arrange for time off from his employer.
"I feel very strongly about sending the appropriate message to the public that he can't destroy lives like this, then not serve any straight time," Laycock said last month.
Rushton has been in therapy since his arrest, Esplin said, and has regretted his actions.
bump
I agree that it's pretty twisted, but being twisted isn't a crime.
Or rather, it wasn't until just recently.
No more family reunions or church picnics for this guy.
He clearly needs something, but in the old days the men in the comunity would have known how to handle this clown.
Not what the LDS had in mind....
Well, if it was my child, and he didn't get jail time, he might get a baseball bat. So the judge is probably trying to prevent future crimes.
He should have put his faith in the one true god, Jesus, and not followed the false prophets Nephi and Moroni.
Good to see justice was served.
The article's pretty skimpy on that point.
It sounds like he put the faces of real children on the porno images. And I'll repeat, if someone did that with my child, I'd administer justice if the state didn't.
Heh...heh...heh... Laycock.
Let me see if I can follow your reasoning here. You seem to be saying the following:
(1) The perpetrator follows Nephi and Moroni but has no faith in Jesus.
(2) The perpetrator's religious beliefs caused him to commit this offense.
(3) People who profess faith in Jesus do not commit offenses.
Is that what you are saying? And if so, do you have a shred of evidence to back up any of these assertions?
Those are your words, not mine (except the part at the beginning where you quoted me). You have your beliefs, I have mine.
I can't ascertain from the article that that's what happened, though I agree that that's the most likely reason why child pornography charges were filed against the perp.
And I don't blame you for deciding you'd administer your own justice in such a case.
It's apparent to me that the guy's probably a threat...I would like to know, though, whom the court thinks is a victim. Some perv hunched over a computer screen inside his house doesn't hurt anyone by the mere fact of existing. Courts and police are notorious for being unable to act against a potential threat until he actually hurts someone.
Yes, you have your beliefs, and you are entitled to them.
But when you posted on this thread, you presumably considered your comments relevant to the subject. I am trying to determine what possible connection Nephi and Moroni might have in your mind to pornography. Can you shed any light on your thinking?
Nephi and Moroni are LDS prophets according to their religious book, The Book of Mormon. I consider myself very open minded and tolerant of all non-islamic religions so I will not press the point further.
Ping.
Will this guy get kicked out of the church?
Will he get kicked out of the church?
Probably already has been at least disfellowshipped, an intermediate type of penalty, and perhaps excommunicated. The church disciplines through a church court proceeding with advocates for both sides and a council which meets and decides based on majority vote in some cases, although in less serious cases the local Bishop (like a pastor or priest to non-Mormons) will impose restrictions and a penance process. The entire process is intended to help the person get right with the Lord again (and until then his or her privileges in the church are suspended) and to protect the other members from the wrongdoer.
“Open minded?”
Nephi and Moroni are “false prophets,” according to you. That doesn’t sound very “open minded.” It sounds as though your mind is made up.
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