Utah judge sentences sex offender to 150 years in prison

A man who sexually abused a young boy in Utah County over the course of two years has been sentenced to up to 150 years in prison.

When Clifford James Quinlan pleaded guilty last year to 10 reduced second-degree felony sex abuse counts, prosecutors agreed to recommend that he serve the sentences concurrently. But in court Friday, 4th District Judge Claudia Laycock ordered Quinlan to serve each sentence of one to 15 years one after another.

"The judge spoke about safety for the community," prosecutor Ryan Peters said Friday. "She believes he was a threat and that at this point her only option was to keep him incarcerated for as long as she could so he could get treatment."

Police arrested Quinlan in 2009. According to court documents, the abuse started in 2005 when the boy was 10 years old.

"It was extremely egregious conduct," Peters said. "He clearly is a threat."

Quinlan's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Friday.

afalk@sltrib.com