20-year-old Cedar City man sentenced to prison and probation for sexual exploitation of minor – St George News

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Cedar City – Translation for “Cedar City” in German A 20-year-old Cedar City man who pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a 16-year-old girl was sentenced to one year in prison, followed by four years of probation with a strict zero-tolerance policy.

Camden Ridge Swenson was sentenced on July 15 in 5th District Court by Judge Matthew L. Bell.

Swenson was arrested on September 20, 2023, following an investigation by the Iron County Sheriff’s Office that found a video containing nude images of an underage girl on Swenson’s phone.

“Camden admitted to engaging in sexual activity with a female who was 16 years old at the time of the encounter,” the arresting officer wrote in the probable cause affidavit filed in support of Swenson’s arrest.

“Camden admitted to creating the video while having a sexual conversation with the juvenile via video call,” the statement continued.

Swenson was originally charged with six counts, including aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor (a first-degree felony) and sexual exploitation of a minor (a second-degree felony), as well as four juvenile charges related to the distribution of alcohol and tobacco to minors.

Although Swenson pleaded not guilty to all six counts in February, he pleaded guilty to a single count of second-degree sexual exploitation of a minor on May 13, after which the other five counts were dropped as part of a plea agreement.

During his sentencing on July 15, Swenson apologized in court and said he was ashamed of his actions.

“My actions hurt people and that was not acceptable,” Swenson said, adding that if there was a way to undo the past, “I would take the opportunity to correct those actions.”

“I just want to prove to my family, the court and the community that I want to be better than I have been,” he added. “I was young, stupid, naive, arrogant and selfish. I know I can do better. I never want to be that person again and will do whatever I can to be better if I get the chance.”

Swenson also told the court that by attending a rehabilitation program and reading the Scriptures and other inspirational books, he had put himself on a better path.

Later in the hearing, however, a young woman came forward and tearfully testified against Swenson, saying she had lost countless hours of sleep out of fear that he might be lurking near her, even after he was taken into custody.

“What Camden did stuck with me forever,” she said, adding, “He kept those videos of me for over a year, even after we broke up.”

“She is now terrified that he is outside our house all the time, even though he is still in prison,” the woman’s mother added. She said that while she thought Swenson was a “nice young man” when her daughter first introduced him to her, it didn’t take long for warning signs to appear.

“Nothing will change,” the ex-girlfriend’s mother said in court. “This man will always be a predator.”

“You asked for a victim impact statement, so here it is,” the woman added. “I don’t see how it will stop Camden from hurting another child.”

At the sentencing, Bell said he would follow the recommendations set out in the agreement, but warned Swenson that any violation of probation could result in a prison sentence of between one and 15 years.

“It’s not something you want to be embarrassed about, but please know that if you appear before me again for probation violations, I will have no patience,” Bell said. “I will treat this with zero tolerance going forward.”

Swenson was sentenced to 364 days in the Iron County Jail, with credit for the 10 months he has already served. After his release from prison in September, he will be placed on probation for a period of 48 months and supervised by the Adult Probation and Release Administration.

In addition to being placed on the state sex offender registry, Swenson is prohibited from having contact with minors who are not family members, the judge ordered. He must also complete any mental health and substance abuse treatment recommended by AP&P and comply with all other standard probation requirements.

Citing an existing restraining order, Bell also ordered that Swenson have no further contact or communication with the victim in the case and her family.

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