Heber police chief responds to sexual assault charges against his adopted son

HEBER — The chief of the Heber City Police Department says he is sorry that his son allegedly sexually abused two elderly women while they were under his care at an assisted living center.

On Monday, Jayden Parker Sever, 20, was charged with sexually abusing two patients at Spring Gardens Senior Living from October to March while working as a certified nursing assistant, according to court documents.

Heber police Chief Parker Sever confirmed to KSL on Wednesday that Jayden Sever is his adopted son, and he turned him in to authorities after learning about the alleged crimes.

“My son informed me of the crimes that he committed, and I turned him into the attorney general’s office,” Parker Sever said.

According to court documents, the investigation began after Jayden Sever told his father about “inappropriately touching a resident,” and he asked to speak with law enforcement about the incident.

Investigators reported that Jayden Sever admitted to sexually abusing an 85-year-old woman with late-stage dementia in February. Documents state Jayden Sever also tried to rape an 82-year-old woman resident.

According to court documents, Jayden Sever was “let go” from the assisted living center for unrelated reasons on March 6.

“I feel bad about everything that’s happened,” Parker Sever said. “I’m really sad that this happened. My primary concern is for the victims of the crime. I pray for them and their families and apologize for what occurred and happened to them. I wish there was something I could do to stop it before it happened, but I never thought he was capable of something like this.”

Parker Sever said he adopted his son through the foster care system, and Jayden Sever’s birth parents were “homeless drug addicts.”

“We’ve worked hard to try to give him the best life that we could,” Parker Sever said. “And he’s been a struggle for us. This wasn’t something that I thought he was capable of, that he committed these crimes. He’s going to have to work through the process of whatever the restitution is that’s required by law. He just needs mental health help, and I’ve tried for years and years to get that for him.”

Jayden Sever was charged in the 4th District Court with attempted rape and object rape, first-degree felonies.

Spring Gardens Senior Living facility has not responded to KSL about this case.

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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.