Judge Sends Man, 22, Accused of Sexually Assaulting Teen Girl, 15, to Prison Treatment Program — and He Could Be Released After Just One Year
Krew Zaugg was sentenced for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Oct. 30 2026, Published 7:35 p.m. ET
A former Mormon missionary learned his sentence this week for sexually assaulting a teenage girl, and he avoided landing behind bars, RadarOnline.com can report.
In May 2025, 22-year-old Krew Zaugg met a 15-year-old girl on Snapchat and invited her to hang out in his Tesla.
Plea for Leniency in Court
The suspect gave his version of events in court.
In a tearful confession in court, he alleged he'd just broken up with his girlfriend (who he's since married) and was feeling "sad, lonely and miserable."
To assuage these feelings, Zaugg claimed he "opened up a Snap" from the victim "without taking the time to really get to know her, asking her questions or understanding her circumstances," before they met up.
The ex-missionary also admitted to lying to cops when he was first arrested because he was "scared."
Despite his actions, Zaugg asked the judge for leniency, claiming that "one night of poor decisions" doesn't need to "define" the rest of his life.
"I know I cannot change the past as much as I wish I could go back and make different decisions. I can't. But I can choose what kind of man I can become," he said.
Victim's Family Details Physical and Emotional Trauma
The victim's family detailed the trauma she has had to endure.
Zaugg's victim's family also got to issue statements in court.
"If this had happened to Krew Zaugg, if he was the victim of the brutal and violent rape that my daughter endured, Krew's parents would be paying the most top-notch attorneys to get the perpetrator sent to life in prison or sent to the firing squad," the victim's mother told the court.
"I do not want to repeat all the torturous things he forced upon my child to engage in with him. All I will say is it was brutal, it was violent and highly forceful, which left her with bruises, physical marks and all…I know the people sitting in this room right now have not seen those pictures, nor do they know much about this case except what they are told by their friends or Krew himself."
Additionally, the girl's mother told the court Zaugg locked the Tesla’s doors, and her daughter couldn't figure out how to get out.
Zaugg’s supporters in the room appeared "shocked" by the victim's mother's detailed recount, per a report.
The teen victim's sister wrote a letter read by an advocate. She wrote Zaugg did not "make a mistake," but engaged in a "deliberate and evil act to feel powerful."
She continued that her younger sister was "lonely and vulnerable" as she’d just lost her grandfather, and was on Snapchat seeking "a friend."
"No girl should go out seeking a friend to come home traumatized permanently," the sister asserted.
The victim’s stepmother and father also spoke out, with the stepmother revealing her stepdaughter has developed bulimia since that night.
Letter Reveals Lifelong Impact on Teen Victim
A statement was read on the victim's behalf.
A letter was also read on behalf of the victim: "When we made plans to hang out, I did not expect anything like that to happen that night… I took it as a chance to get out of the house with a friend because I had not left the house since my grandfather passed."
Since the assault, she wrote she’s had to sleep on the couch to be near her family and take Benadryl "to sleep without waking up panicking."
The victim added she’s been mocked online: "I am also now a joke to half of this town because of what you did. People are commenting on articles, making literal jokes about a 15-year-old child who got hurt by a grown man."
For Zaugg's actions, prosecutor Steven Haderlie asked the judge to consider a sentence of up to 20 years. Haderlie argued the perpetrator knew the victim's age and that he would have shown at trial that "force was involved" in the assault.
Judge Hands Down Light Sentence
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The low sentence sparked outrage across social media.
The suspect's lawyer, Michael Winchester, meanwhile, asked for mercy, citing his client's lack of criminal background and unlikelihood of committing another crime.
Judge Michael Whyte ended up sentencing Zaugg to a rider program for up to one year. Zaugg was also ordered to pay a $4,000 fine, register as a s-x offender, and not speak to his victim for 14 years.
He cited the suspect's low likelihood of reoffending, as he had a low LSI score.
"Court notes that the science tells us the brain isn't fully developed till you're 25… here's the reality: no amount of time is going to fix the victim. You did a horrible thing," Whyte told Zaugg.
"These reports tell me that there needs to be some punishment. Probation is not enough of a punishment for that, so these reports also tell me that an imposed prison sentence for a 22-year-old man, given all of the other factors, is also not appropriate."
