**UPDATED**

Other cases will be added to this petition 

Judge Don Torgerson needs to be removed from the courts in Carbon County Utah, since he does NOT care about the victims. His sentencings are always the bare minimum. He doesn't make these criminals be held accountable for their actions. He treats the victims as if they are the criminals and the criminals as if they are the victims. 

During sentencing he allowed the criminals attorney to degrade our family when there was no need for that . Very unprofessional  and distasteful. In a previous case with my grandfather's homicide case. The same attorney degraded the family  every chance he could get & this Judge kept allowing it. They treated the victims as if we were the criminal and the criminal as if he was the victim. There was no justice on either case which one was a homicide case & a aggravated  assault charge. The judge blamed the victim for the actions  of the criminal. The criminal tried to run over the victim TWICE. The victim did not have any sort of weapon  when the criminal was using his vehicle  as a deadly weapon. The victim can NOT make the criminal do anything , it's the criminals decision on  how to act during a situation. The victim just told the criminal to pick up his trash & that is when the criminal snapped. This judge doesn't care about the safety of my children , my husband , myself , my family , the Public , & the animals are NOT safe with this guy being  free. The judge felt bad that his health is declining and since  he already spent a year in jail for the pending charge for homicide and aggravated  assault , He felt he should be free. This criminal killed my grandfather and bragged about it in jail but got away with it all because there was uneducated  jurors that believed a lying lawyer over a professional  medical examiner  that said the cause of death is from the assault not his health. He was found guilty on the aggravated  assault against my husband but yet the judge decided to let him be free and put the blame on the victim for his actions. Very disgusting and unprofessional . This judge needs to be REMOVED ASAP please sign and share this petition . Victims need to be treated better and there needs to be more justice for the victims. The only way to accomplish  that is to remove judges like this. #nojusticenopeace #removedontorgerson #distasteful  #unprofessional #keepfighting #iwontgiveup #evenwheniamdowntomylastbreath #imnotgivingup #speakup #standup #makethechange #bethechange 

***Third case *** where a wonderful family didn't get the JUSTICE they deserved for their son by this Judge ... let me share what his beautiful mother wants to say....

We are reaching out to spread awareness of the injustice of the sentencing in my son Bay Nelson’s case. As a community we need to come together to ensure we have judges that prioritize our safety and uphold the law. The 7th district court needs to address this issue���#JusticeforBay Bay Nelson

Santos-perez did not have the DOT required understanding of written English to understand his road signs...
He did not have the DOT required level of Basic English to be able to communicate with First Responders...
Which by default means he either-
Cheated on his CDL exam
Or
Took the CDL that allows Spanish testing for Intrastate only.
He knew the truck had a manual transmission.
He chose to pick up a load to haul through the canyon.
He knew that the tractor had faulty electrical issues upon pick up.
He knowingly drove a heavy weight load on a vehicle with faulty electrical equipment.
He had driven this truck through this canyon previously.
He passed a series of warning road signs. Including winding road, curve ahead, sharp curve, and passing lane ahead.
(Which means, if he understood English - or anything about driving at all, then he was aware that he was going to through a curved road)
He knowingly crossed over double yellow lines, around a blind corner, in the dark and going uphill to pass another semi truck.
He purposely swerved to his left, not only taking up the oncoming lane of travel but also the shoulder and took any place for escape.
He killed my son destroying my family.
He had knowledge that his vehicle was faulty and his own limitations with a manual transmission before he ever started through Price Canyon.
He either did not do or ignored the results of his pre-trip
He had ample time and opportunity to stop this mess before it ever started.
Reporting the truck to company or DOT to get needed and mandatory repairs.
Or using pull off areas intended for semi trucks.
Or using passing lanes before the curving section of road.
Or waiting 500 ft for a passing lane to open in his direction of travel.
This was not a "mistake" this was a series of decisions that can only be described as gross negligence and total disregard for human life and public safety.
His sentence is for FELONY MANSLAUGHTER.
He got off way too light, the person he murdered did not.
He needs to get what he deserves, so I need you to sign the petition.
A jury found him guilty of a Felony.
A felony manslaughter conviction includes a minimum prison sentence.
AP&P recommended prison.
Prosecutor recommended prison.
Family asked for prison.
Yet Judge Torgerson chose to sentence Santos-Perez to 1 year in Carbon County Jail.
Because it cost too much for prison time
Bay paid taxes
Because he is not an American citizen
He murdered an American
Because he will be deported
how can we know that and what will stop him from just re-entering America
Because it won’t bring Bay back
no it won’t
But it will give us a sense of justice. That the 2 year long court battle wasn’t for nothing. That there is accountability for his murderer.
And I will say whoever passed him for a CDL and whoever hired him to drive should also be held accountable!

As Bays mother, Bay was incredibly kind and more than happy to help others. But he had plans for his life. He would be angered beyond belief that his future was taken. That his family and friends are and will continue to suffer EVERY DAY without him. We taught our son that there are consequences for your actions and I believe that contributed to him being the kind and gracious person he was. I think this is taking advantage of his kindness. No drugs or alcohol were involved in this case. The semi driver chose,completely sober, to pass another semi truck on a double yellow, around a blind corner and in the dark. He was completely in Bays lane of travel. My son wanted to come home for his 22nd birthday and didn’t make it.

 

Utah judge cites defendant’s ‘privilege’ in ordering no additional jail time in child sex exploitation case

MOAB — A Utah judge is being criticized for comments he made as he sentenced a man for sexually exploiting children.

 

Aidan Hoffman, 22, was sentenced Tuesday in Grand County after pleading guilty to two felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.

 

According to court documents, Hoffman possessed and distributed multiple images of children being raped and sexually abused.

 

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Don Torgerson twice cited Hoffman’s “privilege” as he ultimately decided not to require him to serve any additional jail time or pay a fine, despite prosecutors asking for prison.

 

Grand County Attorney Stephen Stocks told KSL TV he’s stunned by what the judge said and did.

 

“Something like this shocked my conscience so much,” Stocks said Thursday, “that I feel failing to act — or failing to speak out on this —wouldn’t be doing a justice or service to … those kids out there.”

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Utah judge cites defendant’s ‘privilege’ in ordering no additional jail time in child sex exploitation case

May 22, 2025, 10:30 PM | Updated: 10:40 pm

 

 

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BY DANIEL WOODRUFF

Reporter/Anchor, KSL-TV (NBC) Salt Lake City

MOAB — A Utah judge is being criticized for comments he made as he sentenced a man for sexually exploiting children.

 

Aidan Hoffman, 22, was sentenced Tuesday in Grand County after pleading guilty to two felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor.

 

According to court documents, Hoffman possessed and distributed multiple images of children being raped and sexually abused.

 

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Don Torgerson twice cited Hoffman’s “privilege” as he ultimately decided not to require him to serve any additional jail time or pay a fine, despite prosecutors asking for prison.

 

Grand County Attorney Stephen Stocks told KSL TV he’s stunned by what the judge said and did.

 

“Something like this shocked my conscience so much,” Stocks said Thursday, “that I feel failing to act — or failing to speak out on this —wouldn’t be doing a justice or service to … those kids out there.”

 

 

Sentencing hearing

Hoffman is from Maine. He was charged last August in 7th District Court with multiple felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He spent nearly four months in jail before getting let out in December with conditions, including that he not leave the state. According to his defense attorney, Hoffman’s mother moved from Maine to Summit County to live with him.

 

“This is not a family or a defendant who has downplayed or minimized the seriousness of this,” defense attorney Tara Isaacson told the judge. “We recognize that these images are terrible, and that this pornography is terrible, that these images are awful.”

 

 

Aidan Hoffman is pictured in a jail booking photo. (Photo: Grand County, Utah)

 

Hoffman ended up pleading guilty to two felonies, while ten others were dropped. As he was sentenced this week, prosecutors asked for prison time for Hoffman, arguing it would send a “clear message” about the severity of the crimes.

 

But Judge Torgerson decided Hoffman would serve no additional time behind bars — and pay no fine. Instead, Hoffman was given suspended prison sentences, and he was placed on probation for four years. He has to register as a sex offender.

 

During the hearing, the judge referred to the time Hoffman had already spent in jail, saying that “112 days is a lot of jail time. It’s a lot of jail time for someone your age who comes from some level of privilege.”

 

Stocks, the Grand County attorney, couldn’t believe the judge brought that up.

 

“That shocked me,” he said.

 

‘Horrendous’ crimes

Stocks, who has served as Grand County attorney since 2023, said the children in the images that Hoffman possessed and distributed were “victims of horrendous sexual acts.”

 

 

The county attorney said social or economic status should not play a role in determining a sentence.

 

“We should look at defendants and the actions that they’ve done and not make it lesser because of their affluent status or their privilege,” Stocks said, noting what he considers a light sentence from the judge. “The investigator spent more time likely investigating this case than the defendant spent in jail.”

 

Torgerson did scold Hoffman for what he did, saying it leads to more children being abused.

 

“Children get raped because of men like you who encourage that kind of perpetrating,” Torgerson said.

 

 

Utah 7th District Judge Don Torgerson is pictured. (Photo: Utah State Courts)

 

The judge also praised the defendant for seeking treatment and getting a job. For his part, Hoffman cried during the sentencing hearing as he apologized for his crimes.

 

“There’s no justification for what I did,” Hoffman said. “I’m not minimizing what I did. I’m not justifying it, and I promise to be better.”

 

But Stocks struggles with the sentence — and the statements — from the judge. Prior to the sentencing, Torgerson viewed two of the videos Hoffman possessed showing children being raped and abused. Afterwards, the judge told those at the hearing that he’s “seen worse” during his time as a defense attorney, although he added that was not meant to “minimize” what Hoffman did.

 

Still, Stocks took issue with that comment, too.

 

“Any child being abused is terrible, dreadful,” he said. “It shouldn’t be downplayed.”

 

KSL TV reached out to Judge Torgerson through the Utah State Courts, but a spokesperson said the judge caMore legal trouble

This is not Hoffman’s only legal problem. He was also charged in 2023 in his home state of Maine with three class C felonies for “possession of sexually explicit material relating to a child under age 12,” according to a court spokesperson.

 

That case is still unresolved. Hoffman has a court date in Cumberland County, Maine on July 23, according to a court clerk.nnot comment on the case beyond what he said during the hearing.