Former Ogden day care employee sentenced to prison in child sex abuse case

OGDEN — A former day care employee accused of using his workplace to repeatedly abuse young children was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for aggravated sexual abuse and child exploitation.

Tanner Dobson, 30, has been behind bars since January 2024, when he was arrested for investigation of abuse of a 5-year-old female student at the facility.

There wasn't a dry eye in the Ogden 2nd District courtroom after the little girl's parents stood up to read some of the horrendous sex crimes Dobson had committed.

The parents claim Dobson called their daughter his "naughty girl" and filmed inappropriate photos and videos of her. They say her photos and videos could still be available on the internet.

To keep the child quiet, Dobson allegedly told her he would show the whole world her exploitative photos. It's just one of the horrors that the unnamed 5-year-old girl went through at the hands of Dobson, according to her parents.

The disturbing impact statements moved prosecutors to tears.

"I think it is clear, and I contend that it is clear Mr. Dobson is a monster," said Nicholas Caine, prosecutor for Weber County.

Defense attorney Roy Cole asked Judge Christina Ortega for mercy in Dobson's case, claiming the day care employee showed good behavior and remorse for his actions.

"When I first met Tanner, what I found was a young man who was sitting in a jail cell feeling suicidal and was not happy with himself," he said. But Caine says Dobson was so calculated that Dobson went as far as taking courses on grooming.

Once he was caught, Caine said there has been no attempt to make things right.

"He didn't say, here's all the images I took of her. Here's what I did. Please help me get out of this rut that he claims he was in. No, no. He reset his phone to hide what he had done," Caine said, adding that Dobson said he chose his victim for her intelligence and her likelihood of not telling on him.

"To say that he was in a rut in his life, and the only way to get out of it was to go touch a 5-year-old little girl so he could get caught is a psychological impairment I can't understand," said Caine.

According to a recent lawsuit filed, Progressive Preschool partnered with Elite Gymnastics to provide classes to children that attended the preschool. The lawsuit claims Dobson was given unfettered access to children for years despite multiple reports being filed with similar claims of abuse.

"He did it under the eyes of his own family, friends and employers," said Caine.

Another alleged victim's parent claims Dobson's mother and the day care co-owner, Jaime Bitton, were made aware but did not take proper action to stop him.

"She knew it was happening, and she should not be running a day care," said Sierra Farley, a mother of a child who attended the day care.

Bitton has never agreed to comment her side on the matter.

Farley said she has seen her daughter and another minor family member in videos police have shown her. But over a year after reopening their cases, Farley said they have yet to press charges. Farley said the cases had been closed due to what police called a "lack of evidence."

"He needs to take responsibility for all of his victims," she said.

Dobson had three letters written in his support asking the judge for mercy. One of them was from his mother, who still runs Progressive Preschool. Another was from his grandmother.

South Ogden police said they could not comment on the state of the other alleged victim's cases pending investigation.

He was ultimately sentenced to 10 years to life for one count and five years to life for another, and Ortega ordered the terms run consecutively. Dobson was also ordered to pay the victim's family around $9,000 in restitution.

Correction: Denise Carlos has no ownership in Elite Gymnastics. An earlier version indicated otherwise.

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