Leniency for a Uniformed Sexual Predator

by Will Grigg
May. 14, 2013

In November 2010, 17-year-old Utah resident Tamsen Reid was stopped by former Box Elder County, Utah, Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Womack. She and her two friends were told to get out of the car, stand barefoot in the snow, and submit to an invasive search. Womack told them to lift their shirts and expose their breasts so he could search for tattoos and body piercings.

Reid was singled out for special attention. Womack told her to get in the back of his patrol vehicle, remove her clothes, and spread her legs so he could inspect her for an intimate tattoo. When the teenager refused, Womack warned her that she could either submit or be taken to jail. She relented as far as removing her clothes, but she refused to undergo a mock gynecological inspection.

Reid was one of at least eight women who were molested by this opportunistic predator in uniform during a period of more than a year. The deputy’s behavior was nothing less than felonious aggravated sexual assault. Yet prosecutors have allowed Womack to plead guilty to three counts of attempted custodial sexual misconduct, a misdemeanor offense. This means he would avoid prison – and keep his law enforcement certification intact.