Attorneys presented their opening statements Monday morning in the trial of a Bar Nunn man charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse of a child during the bench trial in Natrona County District Court.

George Everette Tamblyn is charged with sexual abuse of a minor in the first degree, two counts of sexual abuse of a minor in the second degree, sexual abuse of a minor in the third degree and incest.

District Court Judge Kerri Johnson is presiding. In October, Tamblyn pleaded not guilty to all charges before former Judge Thomas Sullins, who is now retired.

If convicted, he could face multiple life sentences because of a previous conviction for similar crimes.

Because he was previously convicted of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor in 2012, the first- and second-degree charges in this case each carry a maximum sentence of life in prison. The third-degree sexual abuse of a minor and incest charges are each punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

In his opening statement, Assistant District Attorney Kevin Taheri showed statements on an overhead screen about what Tamblyn said during an interview about his penis falling out of his pajamas, and other inconsistent statements that generally described sexual touching.

"The story from him changes several times," Taheri said.

He asked Johnson to consider intent, previous bad acts, and the alleged crimes themselves, saying the state will present enough evidence to convict him.

However, Tamblyn's defense attorney Joseph Cole said that the state needs to prove its case beyond a reasonable doubt, but that its arguments are inconsistent.

During the alleged victim's interviews, Cole said she created details that didn't exist, such as identifying a nonexistent video on a phone; the Natrona County Sheriff's officer didn't thoroughly investigate certain incidents; and Tamblyn's home situation was unstable.

"Your honor, this case is tainted from start to finish," Cole said.

The case started Jan. 11, 2018, when the Wyoming Department of Family Services first reported to the Sheriff's Office allegations of sexual abuse that occurred on Jan. 7.

The investigator assigned to the case discovered Tamblyn's 2012 conviction and learned that the victim in that case had been prepubescent. The investigator also found Tamblyn had been accused of sexual acts with other children in another state in 2009, but there was no disposition regarding those allegations.

The alleged victim in the current case participated in a forensic interview at the Children's Advocacy Project.

The next day, the investigator interviewed Tamblyn reportedly changed his story multiple times.

The victim said Tamblyn sexually abused them for roughly six years. When she tried to tell others about the abuse, they did not believe the victim's story. It was three years before Tamblyn was finally investigated.

 


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