2020 has been a difficult year for many but for one Roosevelt man the pandemic literally prolonged a nightmare situation by over 6 months. In early March of this year, Basin Now was among many news agencies to report that 25-year-old Jaden Cecil Priebe was facing felony charges after allegedly giving an STD to a minor girl. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause in the case, a 17-year-old girl spoke with Roosevelt City Police in February with a story that she had contracted an STD from Priebe and that he had knowingly given it to her. The girl’s allegations prompted charges of 3rd Degree Felony Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor and Class A Misdemeanor Willful Introduction of a Communicable Disease. Priebe’s initial court appearance was scheduled for March 16th and then moved to March 30th. Court documents show on March 24th, that due to the pandemic, the hearing would be rescheduled for an undetermined future date. Well that date didn’t arrive until September 28th, over 6 months later. Just weeks later, the State of Utah filed a Motion to Dismiss the charges. Why? Well according to a Motion to Dismiss signed by the Duchesne County Attorney on October 29th, “additional evidence was provided to the State which calls into question the ability of the State to carry its burden moving forward”. In an interview with ABC4 Utah that aired on Monday, Priebe explained that the additional evidence that caused the case to be dismissed was the test results made available in September that showed he did not in fact have the STD he was accused of spreading to the teen. Priebe emphasized that the false accusation and charges have tarnished his reputation and even affected his ability to find a job. In November, 8th District Court officially dismissed the case.
