This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Cedar City man who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting an unconscious woman last year has been sentenced to prison.
Leonel Morales, 28, was initially charged in 5th District Court with first-degree felony rape and second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse for the Oct. 16 assault.
He pleaded guilty last month to a lesser first-degree felony count of attempted rape as part of a plea agreement.
On Tuesday, Judge Keith Barnes sentenced him to three years to life at the Utah State Prison.
Court documents state that after drinking alcohol with friends at a Cedar City home, the woman went to sleep in a bedroom, then awoke to find her clothing partially removed and Morales sexually assaulting her.
The woman grabbed Morales by the neck and pinned him in a corner until the home owner entered the room, court documents state.