A former BYU-Idaho student who now lives in Arizona pleaded guilty on Monday to lewd conduct with a child.
Jeffrey O’Conner pled guilty in Madison County District Court to one count of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 16.
In 2013, the victim, who was 15 years old at the time, took a trip with O’Conner, who was in his early 20’s, to Rexburg where the defendant was attending college at the time.
The victim told police that during his stay in his apartment, O’Conner touched him inappropriately multiple times against his will.
After the two-night stay, O’Conner drove the victim home and for months afterward repeatedly contacted him to ensure he would tell nobody about the assault.
The victim informed police of the incident in 2020 and an arrest warrant for O’Conner was issued in November 2021. He was arraigned in April 2022 and was originally due for trial in November.
O’Conner faces up to life in prison and/or up to a $50,000 fine. He will be required to register as a sex offender.
In exchange for his guilty plea, O’Conner agreed to a psychosexual evaluation before sentencing. Prosecutors agreed to not ask the Court to give higher minimum sentences greater than three and a half, four and a half and six years depending on whether the psychosexual evaluation determines O’Conner to be a low, moderate or high risk, respectively. His cooperation and results from a polygraph test will also factor into the minimum sentence the State will ask for.
O’Conner is currently out on bail as he awaits sentencing.