Man convicted of raping co-worker on Utah dairy farm

CEDAR CITY — A jury found a 28-year-old man guilty of four felonies related to the rape of his one-time co-worker.

Miguel Angel Leon Gomez was convicted of rape, forcible sodomy and object rape — all first-degree felonies — and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. The case was tried in Iron County’s 5th District Court with an eight-member jury, for the 2021 assault after Gomez was located last year in Jerome, Idaho.

Gomez worked with the victim at The Dutch Cowboy Dairy in Paragonah, Utah. She told police that the two had spoken previously but later Gomez had grabbed her and made her so uncomfortable that she tried to avoid him.

Later Gomez cornered her in a dark shed and sexually assaulted her on Oct. 31, 2021. KSL TV does not name the victims of sexual assaults.

After Gomez left her, the victim told another co-worker what happened, and Gomez was fired the same day.

Detectives located Gomez in Jerome, Idaho, in January 2023. During police interviews, Gomez initially said didn’t he didn’t know the victim, then said he did know her because he was fired from his job because of her accusations in 2021. After he was fired, he moved immediately to Idaho.

Gomez also told police he was involved in a consensual sexual relationship with the victim for months.

Gomez is scheduled for sentencing on June 4. Each first-degree felony conviction in Utah carries a sentence of five years to life. Sentencing for a second-degree felony can be from one to 15 years.

Could making this change help Utah improve sexual assault prosecutions?

 

---

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.