Multiple arrests involving children, never convicted: Will Jonathan Soberanis have his first trial?

SALT LAKE CITY – In the last decade, Jonathan Soberanis has been charged in five separate cases with committing crimes of a sexual nature involving children. In four, he was found not competent to stand trial, causing a judge to dismiss the case without prejudice.

A fifth case, now proceeding in federal court, may change that pattern.

Federal investigators claim Soberanis used a New Zealand storage platform with end-to-end encryption to download and distribute child pornography. They suggest he may be more competent than past evaluators have documented.

And unlike his other cases, Soberanis has now been evaluated by a federal expert outside of Utah, which gives one mother reason to hope the outcome this time will be different.

Stefanie Davis says her son called her in January 2022 saying a man was looking through their windows trying to get in. After reviewing doorbell security footage and talking to other neighbors, police arrested Soberanis, who lived just a few doors down, on suspicion of voyeurism. That is when Davis learned about Soberanis and his extensive history.

Timeline of incidents

Jonathan Soberanis has faced numerous allegations of sexual misconduct involving children. His criminal record includes multiple charges ranging from lewdness to aggravated sexual abuse of a child,

• June 26, 2015: Soberanis was accused of masturbating at the Lehi Legacy Center and was subsequently banned from the facility. He later pleaded no contest to lewdness. It is unclear if this case involved children. The details of this case remain sealed.
• April 21, 2018: Soberanis was accused of exposing himself to a child at the Shops at South Town Mall. The mother of the child took a photo of him, which led to Soberanis knocking the phone out of her hand and pushing her to the ground before fleeing, according to police reports. He was charged with lewdness involving a child, assault, and a violent offense committed in the presence of a child. He was found not competent to stand trial, and the charges were dismissed without prejudice on Augt 13, 2019.
• Dec. 16, 2018: Soberanis was accused of looking under a dressing room stall at the West Valley Fitness Center, where he reportedly saw an 8-year-old boy. When the boy’s father confronted him, Soberanis allegedly pushed the father to the ground and kicked him in the chest, according to the police report. Body camera footage showed Soberanis admitting to masturbating while looking at the boy. On June 11, 2021, Soberanis was found not competent, and his charges of lewdness and assault were dismissed without prejudice.
• June 1, 2021: Soberanis was accused of attacking a 5-year-old boy at the Lehi Legacy Center. He faced charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, lewdness involving a child, assault by a prisoner, and two counts of assault against a peace officer. Body camera footage showed Soberanis flipping a table when officers tried to arrest him at his home the next day. He was found not competent, and the charges were dismissed without prejudice on August 5, 2021.
• Jan. 11, 2022: Soberanis was accused of looking into neighbors’ windows, including a 7-year-old boy’s home. He was arrested for voyeurism. A judge deemed him not competent but ordered restorative treatment. On March 1, 2023, following this treatment, he was again found not competent for trial, and his charges were dismissed without prejudice.
• March 22, 2022: Soberanis was arrested on 21 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony involving child pornography. Digital evidence suggested he had obtained these images between August 2020 and March 2022. This case became a federal case and is currently progressing through the court system. His competency hearing is scheduled for November.

Question of competency

Past court evaluators appointed to determine Soberanis’s competency on state charges referenced several potential diagnoses, including autism, depressive disorder, and ADHD, according to court documents.

Soberanis is currently in federal custody and being held without bail. Court documents show a psychiatric examination was ordered for Soberanis on Jan. 5. Soberanis has an evidentiary hearing in federal court this week. His competency hearing is scheduled for November.

Davis is not giving up hope of a different outcome.

“He is competent, he has to be,” Davis said.

And neither is the federal prosecutor. He has compared the question of competency in Soberanis’ case to that of Brian David Mitchell, the man who kidnapped Elizabeth Smart. Mitchell was ultimately deemed not competent to stand trial in a Utah state court. He was also charged on the federal level. Federal evaluators deemed him competent, and he was convicted on federal charges

Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.

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If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Help Line at 1-801-736-4356 (English) or 1-801-924-0860 (Spanish). You can also call the Rape Recovery Center office line during office hours at 801-467-7282 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.