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West Jordan • A judge on Tuesday ordered a former Canyons School District bus driver — who continues to insist he is innocent — to serve 15 years to life in prison for molesting two of his young passengers.
John Martin Carrell, 62, was originally charged with 33 counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child — 23 related to acts with one child and 10 to another. The children, both 5-year-old girls, were special-needs students at Altara Elementary School in Sandy when the offenses took place in March and April 2014.
In July, a 3rd District Court jury convicted Carrell on 19 of the charges, but it found him not guilty of 14 others.
Each count carries a maximum prison term of 15 years to life, although a judge can reduce the bottom end of the term to six or 10 years.
Judge L. Douglas Hogan gave Carrell the maximum punishment of 15 years to life, but the judge gave him a break by ordering all of the terms to run concurrently, rather than consecutively.
In rendering the decision, Hogan said he had watched Carrell with the children in the more than two hours of bus surveillance videos prosecutors submitted as evidence and was troubled by the inordinate amount of attention the driver had given to the two girls.
"I certainly understand how the jury arrived at [its] conclusion," he said.
Prosecutors contend the tapes corroborated testimony from the two victims that Carrell had touched their genitals while holding the girls between his legs as he sat in the driver's seat, or while helping them in and out of seat belts.
"He touches my peepee," one girl, now 6, told the jury during the trial, adding that Carrell had touched her genitals "when I sit on his lap, when I get on his bus or I'm waiting for my teacher to come."
Carrell's defense attorney, Ronald Yengich, argued at trial that prosecutors and other well-meaning adults had misread the videos in their zeal to protect children from harm.
On Tuesday before being sentenced, Carrell adamantly maintained his innocence.
"I did not commit these crimes," he said. "You don't wake up when you are 61 years old and say 'I'm going to be a pedophile today.' "
Carrell said the media had it out for him, but that God will be the final judge of his actions.
"I know and God knows that I did not commit these crimes," he added, saying he doesn't think the courts ever afforded him the presumption of innocence.
Carrell's stepdaughter, Tamra Ashby, who has known him since she was a teen, wept as she told the court that she believed his character had been unfairly portrayed throughout the trial.
"He's never harmed or acted inappropriately to me or any of my children," she told Hogan.
Defense attorney Ronald Yengich argued for leniency, saying Hogan could consider Carrell's record as a good family man and church member, his U.S. military service and his lack of any prior convictions — except for a traffic ticket — as grounds for issuing the minimum mandatory sentence of six years to life, and for concurrent, rather than consecutive sentences.
The parents of one victim, however, asked Hogan to punish the former driver to "the fullest extent of the law," saying his family had trusted the school district and Carrell to keep his daughter safe.
"We feel betrayed," the father said. "Our sweet innocent daughter was hurt by Mr. Carrell."
The Salt Lake Tribune does not identify juveniles or adults who are the alleged victims of sexual abuse. It is not identifying the child's parents, in order to protect her identity.
Deputy Salt Lake County District Attorney Nathan Evershed also asked for the maximum sentence, including at least two consecutive terms of 15 years to life — one for each victim — saying Carrell's heinous acts had a ripple effect on the wider community, from the parents of every school child to school officials, court personnel and investigators.
After sentencing, Evershed said he was satisfied with Hogan's decision.
"When someone goes to prison for 15 years to life and they have another 18 sentences stacked with that, it's an appropriate punishment," he said. "When you are dealing with 5-year-old girls and a bus driver, it's a very appropriate sentence."
Carrell resigned from his job in April 2014 after Canyons District officials placed him on administrative leave in response to the initial abuse allegations.
Twitter: @JenniferDobner