ST. GEORGE — A yearlong case came to a close when a Hurricane man was sentenced to prison on a first-degree felony for sexually abusing a child, a crime the defendant admitted to when the case was filed more than a year ago.
The defendant, 38-year-old Jacob Earl Herman, appeared last Tuesday before District Judge Eric A. Ludlow for sentencing on one first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Two additional counts of the same charge were dismissed under the terms of the settlement agreement.
Herman was represented by Cara Tangaro and Scott Williams, two defense attorneys out of Salt Lake City, while the state was represented by Prosecutor Jerry Jaeger.
Herman was sentenced to serve a minimum of six years up to his natural life in prison, the judge said, as stipulated in the plea agreement.
The 2022 investigation
The case was filed following an investigation opened Sept. 2, 2022, after Hurricane Police detectives received a report involving the alleged sexual abuse of a 10-year-old child. The man suspected of sexually abusing the youngster was identified as Herman, who investigators allege was molesting the child for more than a year.
During an interview conducted Nov. 9, 2022, at the Hurricane Police Department, authorities said Herman admitted to touching the child early in the morning, “on one occasion,” sometime in the beginning of 2021.
The defendant was arrested and booked into jail following the interview, and several days later, he was formally charged with three first-degree counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
After the charges were filed in November of 2022, the case continued moving through the courts with a series of bail review hearings, continuances, three defense attorney changes and other proceedings while the defendant remained in jail in Washington County.
During the sentencing hearing, several victim impact statements were read, including one by the mother of the victim who told Herman he would be known as “a convicted pedophile. That’s who you are. Nothing more.” She went on to say the defendant chose to attack a child when they were most vulnerable — while they were sleeping.
“Prison will be your new home,” she said.
The defendant has never shown any remorse, she said, adding that he even went so far as to threaten the jobs of the bailiffs and Hurricane Police officers.
She closed, saying this was not the first time the defendant had abused children and that everyone in the courtroom should know that Herman admitted to abusing the child.
A second witness told the defendant how frightened the young child must have been when she could hear him walk into the room, “knowing what’s going to happen to them,” as the child pretended to be asleep. Instead, he not only abused the child but took inappropriate photos of the youngster, who was left “terrified and confused,” the witness said.
The victim said she knew that Herman “was not a good person” and had taken everything away that she loved. Now, she said, he would be going to prison, where he will be “living in hell.”
Jaeger opened by saying there was nothing the state could say that was better than what had already been said in the victim statements read in court.
Jaeger went on to say these are extremely difficult cases, and the most challenging aspect is that there is no way to provide perfect justice to those impacted.
Herman’s attorney said these cases take a long time to go through the courts, even when there is a confession, such as was the case here.
Herman told the court the innocence he robbed from the children will haunt him forever, his actions were selfish, abhorrent and unforgivable, while he maintained the facade of being a model family man.
He also apologized to his family for the shame, humiliation and disappointment his actions have caused.
“I will spend the rest of my life attempting to repair the damage I’ve created,” Herman said.
Ludlow said there were aggravating factors in the case, the first of which was the substantial physical and psychological injury to the child that took place over a significant period of time.
Following the ruling, the judge remanded Herman to begin serving his prison sentence immediately and the transport order was signed at the close of the hearing.
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