Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah County Sheriff's Office spokesperson confirmed to the KSL Investigators that Joshua Homer, 26, was arrested Wednesday.
The day before his latest arrest, Homer was the subject of a KSL investigation that revealed crimes against women spanning the last decade, but sentences amounting to less than a month in jail.
Homer is also the target of a movement comprised of several Utah women pushing for his incarceration through social media posts and an online petition. Homer's accusers claim he is a serial predator who the state's criminal justice system has failed to hold accountable.
The movement caught the attention of investigators with Utah's State Bureau of Investigation, which confirms it has received more than 25 claims of sexual assault against Homer.
"It's something that lives with you every single day now. It's just kind of hard to go forward," said Vanessa Clark, Homer's most recent accuser.
Clark says he sexually assaulted her in November. Homer was on probation for sex crimes against a 16-year-old. He had just been released from serving nine days in the Weber County Jail for a felony conviction that stemmed from the statutory rape case.
KSL does not typically identify victims of sexual assault, but Clark chose to be identified in the hopes of protecting other women.
During two recent sentencing hearings for Homer in Weber and Davis counties, judges warned that he would face additional time in jail if he violated his release conditions or committed new, similar crimes.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said Wednesday that Homer is now on a 72-hour hold, allowing Adult Probation and Parole to investigate whether he's violated his probation. If he has, they can schedule a hearing before a judge.
KSL's investigation revealed Homer has had a lengthy history with probation and probation violations.
In Aug. 2016, he was given 18 months' probation after pleading guilty to criminal mischief for damaging an ex-girlfriend's car. It wasn't even two months before Homer was facing new charges and a probation violation for burglary and assault against an ex. He took another plea deal in that case and was given 24 months' probation.
In all, Homer has been convicted of seven new crimes while on probation for another crime. He's had his probation revoked and reinstated three different times, and twice, his probation violations have resulted in the court ending probation altogether.
That's what happened just last month in Davis County after Homer was given no additional jail time for a sex crime against a 16-year-old girl. When a violation of a previous probation sentence was brought up, Homer's attorney told the judge he was busy enough already with his new convictions.
"He's got plenty on his plate with the new case here and the one in Weber County," Rich Gallegos told Judge David Connors.
All parties agreed to terminate his probation as unsuccessful.
Under Homer's current probation conditions, he cannot possess or consume alcohol or illegal drugs or associate with any individuals who do. He also cannot frequent any establishments where alcohol is the principal commodity for sale. And even though his last plea deal kept him off Utah's sex offender registry, Judge Noel Hyde did impose Group A Sex Offender Conditions on his probation, which means Homer faces strict regulations on where he can go and what he can possess. His recent felony conviction also prohibits Homer from possessing a firearm.
A spokesperson with the Utah Department of Corrections would not comment on Homer's latest arrest, citing an ongoing investigation.
This report is part of a series examining how apparent gaps at every level of Utah's criminal justice system failed to protect Utahns from an accused serial predator.
If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah's 24-hour Sexual Violence Helpline at 1-888-421-1100. You can also call the Rape Recovery Center Crisis Line at 801-467-7273 or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.
Have you experienced something you think just isn't right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.
