23-year-old man caught in sting operation sentenced to prison for enticement of minor

Stock photo by Alex Star/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

CEDAR CITY — A 23-year-old man who pleaded guilty to enticing a minor over the internet was sentenced to prison on Monday.

Iron County Jail booking photo of Anthony Dzurka, Cedar City, Utah, May 12, 2022 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

Anthony Lee Dzurka was ordered to serve a term of 1-15 years at Utah State Prison by 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell, who noted that the exact length of Dzurka’s sentence will be determined by the Utah Board of Pardons.

Dzurka was arrested in Cedar City on May 12 when he showed up at a prearranged location to meet with a person with whom he had exchanged text messages. 

“Luckily, this wasn’t a (real) victim.” Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson explained during the hearing. “This was a decoy type of situation where the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was doing a proactive operation. So, this wasn’t a real 13-year-old girl, although the defendant didn’t believe that that was the case.”

Dotson said Dzurka had exchanged a number of sexually explicit texts with the decoy officer and also sent two photos of his genitalia. Officers later arrested Dzurka when he arrived at a local bowling alley for the arranged meeting, Dotson said.

Dzurka was initially charged with one count of enticing a minor over the internet, a second-degree felony; and two counts of dealing harmful material to a minor, a third-degree felony. However, after pleading guilty to the more serious charge in June, the remaining two counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors.

Dzurka appeared in court on Monday wearing an orange jail jumpsuit alongside his lawyer, public defender Troy Sundquist. Both asked the judge to consider imposing a more lenient sentence that fell within the up to 210 days in jail recommended by the pre-sentencing report.

“He’s young, he’s 23 years old,” Sundquist told the judge. “His situation back home was slim to no support, kind of left on his own to raise himself growing up,” he said, calling Dzurka’s upbringing “less than stellar.”

Dzurka, who is from Michigan, had no prior criminal history until his arrest in Cedar City four months ago, Sundquist noted.

“He recognizes that for whatever reason this happened, he recognizes that it was handled poorly and decisions were made that he doesn’t fully understand why they were made,” Sundquist said of his client.

Given a chance to address the court directly, Dzurka attempted to explain his actions, saying he had once been on the receiving end of similar texts as a child.

“I’m not saying what I did was right,” he told the judge. “I’m not trying to like, justify. I thought I was being funny. Like I told the cops during the interview, I wasn’t, like, trying to do that. I was being funny.”

“There’s nothing funny about it,” Bell said. “It’s very serious.”

“I understand that,” Dzurka replied, adding, “I’m not saying what I did was okay in any way, shape or form. It’s … there was no excuse for it. i There’s nothing I can say for that.”

It was at that point that Bell said he would deviate from the sentencing matrix and impose the full 1-15 year prison sentence associated with the second-degree felony charge, as prosecutors had recommended.

Bell also urged Dzurka to receive available counseling and treatment while in prison.

“You’ve got a serious problem that needs real treatment and hopefully you’ll get that while you’re there,” Bell added.

The judge did not impose any additional fines or fees and told Dzurka that he has 30 days to file a written appeal, if he so chooses.

Earlier in the hearing, Dotson noted that the case “underscores the genuine fear that parents have about young children and teenagers who are using social media.”

Afterward, Dotson told Cedar City News that he was grateful for the efforts of the state’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

“My office has been proud to work with them during these types of proactive operations,” he said. “I believe that some of the most important work we do as law enforcement officials is to protect children. This case is an example of our commitment to that work.”

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

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