Police arrest St. George man accused of sodomizing child

April 16, 2018 Utah Channel 3

ST. GEORGE – A 44-year-old man was taken into police custody over the weekend after a family member accused him of sexual offense.

Raymond Andrew Berry, of St. George, bookings photo, posted April 13, 2018 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

A 15-year-old girl interviewed at the Children’s Justice Center in St. George last week said there had been inappropriate sexual contact between herself and 44-year-old Raymond Andrew Berry, according to a probable cause statement written in support of the arrest.

The incidents allegedly occurred when the girl was between the ages of 7 and 13, starting when she lived out of state and continuing after moving to St. George in 2013.

During one of the encounters, the girl said Berry had her “grind” against him, according to the police report, as well as engage in other activities disclosed during the interview.

Berry was contacted and detained by St. George Police and interviewed at the police department Friday. He agreed to speak to police after being told his rights and, according to the police statement, subsequently denied the girl’s accusations.

Based on the information from the 15-year-old’s interview, Berry was arrested and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility on two first-degree felony counts of sodomy of a child. His bail is currently set at $40,000.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler