On Tuesday, 52-year-old James Bruce Synder was sentenced regarding the ongoing case of attempted rape of a child and attempted child kidnapping.
The incident occurred in 2022, with reports stating that Snyder entered a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Carbon County, where he spoke with church goers and informed them that he was there to speak with a bishop. Allegedly, during his time at the church, a teenager was in the women’s restroom and was grabbed by Snyder.
He reportedly attempted to attack the female, though she fought back and yelled for help during the attack. It was stated that Synder also made an attempt to pull her into a side room that was attached to the restroom and attempted to pull down the victim’s pants, having already pulled down his own.
Furthermore, reports state that Synder placed his hand over the teenager’s mouth and told her to be quiet. A witness heard the victim’s shouts and intervened, allowing the female time to get away from Synder mid-attack.
Snyder was initially booked into the Carbon County Jail on charges of sexual abuse of a child (first-degree felony), child kidnapping (second-degree felony) and assault (class B misdemeanor). Since he was detained, he has been through a number of court dates that led up to the sentencing.
Based on the conviction of the defendant of attempted rape of a child, which is a first degree felony, Synder was sentenced to an indeterminate term of not less than ten years and which may be life in the Utah State Prison. Based on the conviction of attempted child kidnapping, which is also a first degree felony, Snyder was sentenced to an indeterminate term of not less than three years and which may be life, also in the Utah State Prison.
The court deviated from the sentencing guideline of 15 years to life, reducing the sentence to 10 years to life for the first count. The prison sentence for both counts were to run concurrently and Snyder was allowed to receive credit for time served since early December of 2022.
Snyder was also ordered to register for his lifetime as a Group A sex offender if/when he is released or if paroled and was ordered to abide by those requirements. He was then remanded to the custody of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office for transportation to the Utah State Prison where he will be confined.