2nd suspect charged in case involving aggravated sexual abuse of 9-year-old

Composite image with background photo by Matt Gush/iStock/Getty Images Plus, overlay stock image of Beaver County Sherriff's patrol vehicle | St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A second suspect accused of joining his partner in the sexual abuse and rape of a child is facing more than a dozen first-degree felonies that were filed last month.

2019 file photo of Travis Jesse Regg, then 36, of Washington City, booking photo posted Dec. 2, 2019, Washington County, Utah | File photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

On April 12, the Washington County Attorney’s Office filed 14 first-degree felony charges against 39-year-old Travis Jesse Regg, including seven counts of sodomy upon a child, four counts of rape of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. He was also charged with misdemeanor lewdness, according to the eight-page information document filed in 5th District Court.

Regg is currently in custody at the Beaver County Jail on a state hold placed by the Utah Department of Corrections. He was already being housed there when the case in St. George was filed, said Lt. Tyler Fails, with the Beaver County Sherriff’s Office.

The recent charges were filed following an investigation that was prompted by a call from an out-of-state relative in January, reporting that a nine year old family member she was caring for had been sexually molested while living in St. George.

Officers also learned that a second suspect, Laura Ann Regg, 35, allegedly took an active role in the abuse. She was charged with more than a dozen first-degree felony charges, including seven counts of sodomy of a child, four counts of rape of a child and three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. This defendant was arrested in February on an unrelated case and remains in jail in Washington County, where she is being held without bail. At the time of her arrest in February, Travis Regg had yet to be charged in the case.

On Tuesday, Travis Reggs’ arrest and in custody status was brought to the attention of St. George News by a reader who advised the defendant was already in jail up north on an unrelated case, which was confirmed by the Beaver County Jail.

Through the course of the investigation into the report of sexual abuse,  officers determined that the molestation went on for more than three years, until the child was 11 years of age, according to the probable cause statement filed with the courts.

Regg and his partner worked in concert during the incidents of sexual abuse, which included rape and sodomy of the child, and during one incident, Laura Regg reportedly drugged the youngster by injecting her with a substance to dull the pain of the abuse.

The report also states the child was forced to perform sexual acts on both defendants, and the abuse escalated just before the child was scheduled to move out of state. The child was also threatened if she ever told anyone about the abuse, and it wasn’t until she moved to the east coast that she disclosed the molestation to a relative who  then called police.

File photo of Laura Ann Regg appearing in court via Webex facing multiple first-degree felony charges in a case involving the alleged sexual abuse of a child, St. George, Utah, March 30, 2022 | Court pool photo, St. George News

After the charges were filed, an affidavit for an arrest warrant was also submitted to the court indicating that Regg declined to speak to authorities about the allegations, so no interview took place.

The affidavit also states that co-defendant Laura Regg told police “that as far as she knows, Travis did not do anything” to the child.

Detectives also spoke to several family members of the child who corroborated the girl’s account, as well as the timeline and locations where the abuse reportedly took place.

On March 30, Laura Regg made an initial appearance in 5th District Court on the charges. During the proceedings, District Judge G. Michael Westfall began going down the list of charges, which is when the defendant waved her hand and asked that her charges not be read aloud. Undaunted, the judge continued reading through the list.
An initial appearance has yet to be scheduled in the case against Travis Regg who remains in custody in Beaver County on the state hold.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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