Grandmother arrested for child sexual abuse in Cache County, Utah

LOGAN, Utah – A 74-year-old Cache County resident is in jail facing numerous charges, including aggravated sexual abuse of a child, sexual abuse of a child, rape of a child with an object, rape, rape of a child and sodomy of children.

Ruth Z. Worthen was taken into custody after questioning the victim, arresting her, and searching Worthen’s home.

According to a probable cause affidavit filed in 1st District Court, officials arrested Worthen and booked her into jail Tuesday following about a year-long investigation into abuse in Cache County. She faces a total of 23 charges, all first-degree felonies.

Alleged victims are family members

In a probable cause statement, a 1st District Court officer detailed allegations of abuse from four people over a period of about 40 years. All four victims have some sort of familial relationship with Worthen, either directly or through marriage. The fourth victim initially reported his abuse to North Park police in 2017, but was informed that the statute of limitations had expired. He filed a civil lawsuit in 2019, but it was dismissed in 2022. One of the other victims accused Worthen of abusing her when she was still in diapers.

The charges detail possible crimes that occurred over the course of 30 years, from the early 1970s to the early 2000s. Because each victim mentioned possible additional victims to investigators, the sheriff’s office requested that Worthen be held without bail.

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