Man accused of sexually assaulting Vernon teens placed under house arrest – Vernon News

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A man convicted of two counts of sexual assault was sentenced Monday to 23 months of house arrest in Vernon.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred in Vernon in June 2021 between two teenagers aged 16 and 17 and a man believed to be in his 50s at the time. A publication ban protecting the identity of victims prevents the name of the offender.

The court heard a teenage girl texted the offender saying she wanted to go boating. Once invited by the offender, the teenager brought her friend.

The girls would cruise with the offender and other adults, where they were given alcohol and exposed to drugs like cocaine and marijuana, even though they did not use them.

The group went to the offender’s camper van where a young woman told them that the offender was her sugar daddy.

The teenagers offered the offender to expose their breasts to him in exchange for $20 each. The offender agreed, but after removing their tops, he asked the teens to remove their bottoms and took out his cell phone to record them.

Hewson said the girls were reluctant but agreed. The man then sexually touched the two teenage girls.

He paid the two girls $20 and left – one teenager took another $40 in cash from a table.

The court heard the teenagers laughed and went to show the party their money. One young girl testified that she went from crying to laughing and feeling sad after the attack.

The two men went boating with the offender one more time before a teenage girl told her parents about the assault and the parents reported the offender who was arrested and released on a court order.

The offender was sentenced to 23 months’ house arrest by Judge Richard Hewson, followed by a three-year probation period during which he cannot have contact with the victims.

The court heard the offender did not live in Vernon and had few ties to the area.