British newspaper reports resigned Utah legislator paid escort for sex

February 7, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE — A British newspaper has reported that Rep. Jon Stanard’s abrupt resignation from the Utah House was due to the fact it was about to publish an account of his having met with an online escort in Salt Lake City for sex last year.

The Daily Mail of London published the account Thursday morning, quoting 39-year-old Brie Taylor of Salt Lake City, who said the St. George Republican paid $250 for sex on two separate occasions while visiting the state capital in 2017.

According to text messages from Taylor published by the Mail, Stanard made initial contact with Taylor in March 2017, saying “Looking at your website. Can you meet?”

Taylor told the Mail she knew who Stanard was after researching his number and looking for further information on Google.

The last text exchange between the two was reported to be in November.

Stanard was reported by the Mail to have been approached about the escort’s story Tuesday night.

Stanard resignation wasn’t commonly known until Wednesday morning. However, Speaker of the House Greg Hughes, R-Draper, said in a statement that Stanard resigned “due to personal and family concerns.”

Hughes also noted Stanard was asking for privacy at this time. No further explanation as to Stanard’s sudden departure was given.

However, Stanard told the Associated Press via a text that the reason for his departure was due to he wanting to spend more more time with his father who lives out of state and has terminal cancer.

In the wake of the resignation, Stanard took down his social media and campaign websites, and efforts by multiple media outlets to contact him have largely gone unanswered.

The Mail reported that Walter Bugden, Stanard’s attorney, told the paper, “Given the current climate in this country with misconduct allegations and the way things are happening in the media right now, there isn’t any explanation that my client could give that would overcome the shadow of these allegations. He has resigned his office.”

Stanard is a married father of three and lives in St. George. Prior to his resignation he served in House leadership as the chair of the House Rules Committee.

Both the Deseret News and The Salt Lake Tribune reported approaching Taylor for an interview, but were referred to the reporter who covered the original story, Shanti Das. Taylor said she gave it to Das as “exclusive.”

Das reports for the South West News Service, a newswire in the United Kingdom and Untied States.

Presently based in New York, Das told the Utah newspapers that her news service is telling Taylor’s story on her behalf and didn’t want to speak to anyone else. Das also said Taylor was the one that approached them with the story.

As to whether the newswire paid for Taylor’s story, Das said, “I don’t really see how that’s relevant.”

According to Fox 13 News, Legislators largely chose not to comment Thursday on the allegations flung Stanard’s way.

Speaker Hughes said little on the subject Thursday, though reiterated Stanard was no longer a member of the Utah House.

Rep. Mike McKell, R-Spanish Fork, who sat next to Stanard on the House floor, told Fox 13 he was, “shocked and disappointed.”

Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, and other is Senate leadership were shocked at the claims, Niederhauser is questioning if the state should investigate the potential misuse of taxpayer money related to the allegations.

“I think that’s definitely something we have to consider and maybe even demand at that point. But it’s hard for me to determine that until we know what the facts are,” he told Fox 13 News.

As Stanard is no longer a member of the Legislature, Hughes’ office said there would be no ethics investigation. There may be a question of whether or not Stanard used money from a state-allotted stipend for the activities he is accused of. The state may be asking for that money back in the allegations turn out to be true, Fox 13 reported. However, the state doesn’t track how legislators use that money.

Stanard was elected to the Utah House in 2012 to represent House District 62 located in Washington County. In addition to serving on the Rules Committee prior to resignation, he also served on the House’s Revenue and Taxation Committee, Business and Labor Committee and Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

Ed. note: This story was updated to add comments form members of the Utah Legislature via Fox 13 News.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler