November 10, 2009
Seminary Principal Pleads Not Guilty To 15 Charges
AMERICAN FORK -- The former LDS seminary principal accused of having a sexual relationship with a student was back in court today. Michael Pratt pleaded not guilty to all 15 felony charges against him. Pratt was arrested in July on charges he'd had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl who attended the LDS seminary where he taught. During a preliminary hearing in October, the girl recounted how the relationship began, as she frequently visited Pratt in his office at the seminary. She testified that on April 30, he told her he loved her, and that the relationship turned sexual within a week and it continued through the end of June. Prosecutors say regardless of if the student agreed to the relationship, that it is not a defense Pratt can use, since he held a position of trust over the victim.Click Here For The Full Story......
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Former Seminary Principal Pleads Not Guilty to Sex Abuse of Student
Fox 13 Now - Salt Lake City
AMERICAN FORK, Utah - A former Lone Peak LDS Seminary principal accused of having sex with a 16-year-old girl plead not guilty in a district courtroom Tuesday morning. Michael Pratt, 37, did not say anything to reporters on his way in and out of the courtroom. He is facing 15 charges including forcible sodomy, rape and sexual abuse. The charges are aggravated which means he could face a stiffer penalty because he was in a position of trust. Pratt is accused of having sex with the 16 year old girl in various Utah County locations during the months of May and June. She, now 17, testified during the preliminary hearing in October that Pratt talked about moving away with her to get married. She said he would have her hide in his car at the seminary school before he drove the car to the various locations.