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American Fork » A 16-year-old Lone Peak High School student's relationship with LDS seminary principal Michael Jay Pratt started with chats about religion, school and "life in general," the girl testified Tuesday at a preliminary hearing.
"Brother Pratt seemed like a good friend, and I trusted him," the girl, now 17, testified in 4th District Court.
But on May 1, Pratt, 37, professed his love for the girl, sparking a two-month sexual relationship the girl believed was prelude to marriage, even though Pratt had a wife and three children.
It came to an end when Pratt was arrested July 9 and charged with 21 felonies.
Because of errors in the charging document, Judge Christine Johnson ordered Pratt to stand trial on only 15 counts: one count of rape, eight counts of forcible sodomy and five counts of object rape, all first-degree felonies, and one count of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse.
During three hours on the witness stand, the girl detailed more than 30 sex acts, mostly fondling and oral sex. On three occasions, she said, Pratt unsuccessfully attempted sexual intercourse.
She said the trysts occurred up Provo Canyon, on the roof of the seminary building, in a ravine near her Highland home, in an empty home, at a hot springs near Goshen and an abandoned mine near Eureka.
The girl was able to precisely recall many events because of a diary of sorts she kept
Utah County sheriff's Detective Melissa Stout noted that Pratt himself ratified the girl's story by exclaiming, "Oh, she remembers everything!" after he saw a jail booking document listing their alleged encounters.
But the judge dismissed six of the 21 counts because the girl's testimony did not match dates set down in charging documents by prosecutors.
Defense attorney Russel-Paul Kawai unsuccessfully argued that several additional counts should be dismissed because Pratt's authority as a teacher ended on May 29 when school ended. The basis for all the charges is that Pratt was able to exercise undue influence over the girl because he held a "position of special trust."
The girl testified she came to Pratt in January because she didn't like her seminary teacher. Pratt assigned her to a different class, but the girl soon began coming to Pratt's office, instead, where they talked and Pratt often sang songs he had written.
The girl recorded a love song Pratt wrote for her, in which he sings: "You are the sunlight, I am the moon/spin the wheel, see what will be/for eternity."
Soon after, the girl testified, Pratt told her about a sexual fantasy in which he left school with the girl hiding in the back seat of his car as he they drove to Bridal Veil Falls, in Provo Canyon, where they kissed under the waterfall.
Pratt also talked about fantasizing about having sex with the girl, and described to the girl how it would feel, she said.
"I was really shocked," she said. But the next day Pratt told her he loved her and insisted "This doesn't just have to be a fantasy."
She recorded the event in her phone log: "Fri. May 1, B. Pratt, Luv."
The girl said she was unable to eat or sleep that weekend, and went to a hospital on Sunday after suffering an anxiety attack. Later that day, Pratt came to her aunt's home and gave her "a blessing," she testified.
During the next two days, they talked in Pratt's office about their feelings.
On the third day, Pratt's fantasy played out in part when the girl left school early, hid in the back seat of Pratt's car and he drove to Bridal Veil Falls, where they got wet and became cold, she said. They then went to nearby Vivian Park, where Pratt kissed her for the first time, then undressed himself and the girl and fondled her breasts and genitals, she testified.
The girl recorded: "Wed. May 6, Kiss."
Pratt, who is free on bail, was ordered to return to court on Nov. 10 for a scheduling hearing. The LDS Church terminated his employment after the criminal allegations surfaced.
