This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A former Tabiona councilman has been sentenced to spend 30 days in jail after he admitted to sending sexually explicit messages to an underage girl.
Jason Dan Hoyt, 25, pleaded guilty in March to class A misdemeanor stalking, and no contest to a class B misdemeanor lewdness charge. Hoyt's attorney, Walter Bugden, noted in court documents that the lewdness charge was a "legal fiction."
According to plea agreement documents, Hoyt admitted to sending the 14-year-old girl Facebook messages with sexually explicit questions and comments in December 2014. Later, he sent her another message wishing her a "Merry Christmas" and waved to her while she was leaving school, which caused the girl to "suffer emotional distress," according to court records.
A sentencing memorandum filed by Bugden said that Hoyt didn't know the victim, but added her as a "friend" on Facebook based on mutual connections the two had.
At Hoyt's Monday sentencing, 8th District Court Judge Samuel Chiara also ordered the former councilman to complete 24 months probation and pay for the victim's counseling.
When confronted with the accusations, Hoyt allegedly acknowledged the texts but said he thought the girl was "about 17 years old," according to court documents.
Hoyt was a member of the town council of Tabiona, an eastern Utah town of about 200 people, for the past year before charges were filed in January. He now lives with his wife and three children in Orderville, according to court records.