Utah man accused of paying boys to undress sentenced to jail

A 56-year-old Copperton man accused of paying middle school-aged boys to take off their clothes for him and showing them pornography was sentenced Tuesday to 30 days in jail.

Michael Wade Heagren, 56, was initially charged in 3rd District Court with five counts of third-degree felony dealing in harmful material to a minor.

In February, Heagren pleaded guilty to four lesser counts of class A misdemeanor attempted dealing in harmful material to a minor, a crime punishable by up to a year in jail.

On Tuesday, Judge Bruce Lubeck sentenced Heagren to 30 days in jail as part of a 36-month probation, which includes treatment and a ban on unsupervised contact with minors.

The defendant's attorney, Paul Grant, has told The Tribune that Heagren met the boys while serving as a volunteer basketball coach at a Copperton middle school.

Charges state that between May 2014 and May 2015, the boys were hired to do chores for Heagren at his home and at a family cabin. After one trip to the cabin with three of the boys, Heagren offered each of them $50 if they would lie naked in a stream, charges state. The boys complied as Heagren watched while standing at his nearby truck, charges state.

In a second incident at Heagren's home, two boys told police they were offered $20 to undress and run back and forth in a field while naked. Both again complied while Heagren looked on, charges state.

As they dressed, the boys said Heagren made jokes and showed them pornographic magazines, according to the charges.

Also, on two separate occasions, Heagren texted pictures of naked women to one of the boys, charges state. That message appears to have been intercepted by a parent, who then contacted Heagren, according to charges.

In a letter to the judge, Heagren's wife said he has been attending LDS addiction recovery meetings, as well as weekly therapy meetings, which have "helped him gain insights into his psyche and decision making processes."

Heagren, who was an accountant for Park City School District, resigned last September, at the time charges were filed.