ST. GEORGE — After pleading guilty to exploiting a prostitute, a former St. George Police Department supervisor is attempting to withdraw his plea.
In February, officers in Utah County arrested 52-year-old David Moss during an undercover human trafficking sting operation.
Moss faced a second-degree felony count of forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony count of exploiting a prostitute, a class A misdemeanor count of patronizing a prostitute and a class B misdemeanor count of sexual battery.
Moss appeared in 4th District Court in American Fork in June and entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony count of exploiting a prostitute and no contest to an amended class A misdemeanor count of sexual battery; the other charges were dismissed.
Less than a month later, Moss filed a motion to withdraw his no contest plea, asserting he did not fully understand the charge of sexual battery and does not believe he committed the crime.
The prosecution argued as a former lieutenant of the St. George Police Department and having served over 15 years in law enforcement, Moss should have fully understood the plea and the consequences.
The prosecution and defense were initially scheduled to appear Tuesday morning for sentencing, but the appearance was amended to reflect time for oral arguments. Now, Moss is scheduled to appear in front of 4th District Judge Roger Griffin for sentencing Oct. 22 at 9:30 a.m.
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