CEDAR CITY — A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to prison for aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
Jorge Antonio Medina was sentenced to serve a minimum of five years in Utah State Prison by 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell on June 26.
Medina was arrested last November after Cedar City Police responded to a domestic violence call and learned that he had been in a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl for several months, starting from when she was 16 years old.
Additionally, investigators found that Medina had videos on his cellphone that showed him and the teen engaging in sexual activity, according to the charging documents.
Although originally charged with a dozen felony counts, Medina pleaded guilty on May 8 to a single count of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a first-degree felony. The remaining counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
In a separate case that was adjudicated at the same time, Medina also pleaded guilty to a single count of violating a protective order, a third-degree felony. On June 26, Judge Bell sentenced Medina to 0-5 years in prison on that count and said that it would run concurrently with the 5-to-life term.
During the sentencing hearing, Medina’s defense lawyer Jeffery Slack told the court that his client “wants to make amends for what he’s done. He’s prepared to pay the price that needs to be paid so that he can make it right.”
Medina later gave a brief statement apologizing to the victim and other family members affected by his actions, saying the past eight months he’s spent in Iron County Jail has given him “time to sit and think about what I’ve done.”
As he handed down the sentence, Bell encouraged Medina to take advantage of educational and treatment opportunities while he’s serving his sentence.
“It’s going to be up to the Board of Pardons when you get out of prison,” Bell told Medina. “All I can do is impose an indeterminate sentence, which I’m going to do. But … you can do the best you can to make something of that time.”
The court did not impose any fines or fees but left restitution open. Medina was given notice of his right to file a written notice of appeal within 30 days if he so chooses.
Medina has since been transferred to Utah State Prison to begin serving his sentence.
The Iron County Attorney’s Office commended the investigative efforts of Detective Matt Topham, the responding officers with the Cedar City Police Department and the staff of Iron County Children’s Justice Center, for their help.
Noting that it would continue to aggressively prosecute such cases, the county attorney’s office also sent the following statement to Cedar City News:
Medina’s sentence is commensurate with his predatory acts. Not only was he engaged in a sexual relationship with a minor, he chose to document the acts. Aside from the inappropriate relationship, the fear is that these images are rarely contained to just one device and one user. Often times, these images will leak out to the dark web and fuel the perverse child pornography market.
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