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Posted: 5:53 PM- LOGAN - A jury found a retired elementary school teacher guilty Thursday of sexually abusing one of his fourth-grade students more than 13 years ago.
Alan Roy Willey, 52, whose October jury trial ended in a deadlock, was found guilty of inappropriately touching the student during the 1993-94 school year at Wilson Elementary.
The case began Feb. 14, 2006, when the victim's wife complained about the abuse to Logan police. Willey, a 27-year teaching veteran, was arrested the following month.
He was charged with nine counts of first-degree felony aggravated forcible sexual abuse of a child - one for each month of the school year. Prosecutors later reduced the severity of the charges to a second-degree felony.
Because the victim said the abuse didn't begin until after the first two months of school, the jury on Thursday dropped two of the charges against Willey.
Willey will be sentenced on July 16 at 9 a.m. He faces a possible prison term of up to 30 years.
On Tuesday, the alleged male victim, now 23, told the jury he was 9 when Willey began touching him inappropriately, about two months into the school year. The alleged assault progressed throughout the school year, with the victim testifying that Willey rubbed his chest and pinched his nipples almost every day, with similar touching to his genitals occurring on a monthly basis.
In his closing arguments Thursday morning, deputy Cache County Attorney Tony Baird told the jury to consider all of the evidence, including the testimonies of four witnesses.
"Those that inappropriately touch children don't fit a certain profile. They can be politicians, civic leaders, priests or bishops, youth leaders or teachers, to name a few," Baird said.
"This defendant made a foolish mistake. A good teacher made a foolish mistake. I can't explain why, and it's not my burden."
Defense attorney Wally Bugden argued that Willey's soft-spoken voice, effeminate mannerisms and "touchy" style in the classroom have led to witness confabulation - "made up memories combined with real memories."
"The state's witnesses have gone back in their minds and looked for evidence," Bugden said, urging the jury not to consider an option to convict Willey of the lesser charge of lewdness.
"Don't do the compromise. This didn't happen. It's not true."
Willey, who began his career in 1979, taught in three Logan elementary schools - Edith Bowen, Hillcrest and Wilson, where he was the school's teacher of the year in 2000 and again in 2004. He also taught at East Elementary in St. George in 1988-89, where similar criminal charges were filed against him but dismissed.
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