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Joe Wrona enters guilty plea in sexual assault case

The Third District Court in Summit County.
David Jackson/Park Record

Former Park City attorney Joe Wrona entered a guilty plea on Monday for sexual assault charges against him.

Wrona changed his original not guilty plea after Summit County prosecutors amended the first-degree felony rape charge to forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and incest, a third-degree felony. The state brought the charges last summer after Wrona sexually assaulted his biological daughter in March of 2022. 

“The plea resolution was reached after the prosecution consulted and received input from his victim,” the Summit County Attorney’s Office said in a statement.



Sentencing in the matter is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 5, 2024. Wrona was scheduled to appear in court next month for a jury trial.

A second-degree felony carries a punishment of one to 15 years imprisonment and up to $10,000 in fines. Third-degree felonies are punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. However, the agreement will likely lead to a reduced sentence.



The Park Record does not reveal personal information about victims of sexual assault charges without their permission. 

Court documents indicate the defense planned to argue the relationship between Wrona and his adult daughter was consensual. However, Wrona’s guilty plea to forcible sexual abuse means he touched his daughter without her consent.

Nathan Evershed, a defense attorney for Wrona, did not return a request for comment by the time of publication.

Wrona had not met his daughter until August of 2021, when they began trying to establish a relationship. The pair went on vacations together and Wrona eventually purchased his daughter a condo in Park City.

Summit County prosecutors accused Wrona of becoming “possessive and controlling” of his daughter as she attempted to make friends. The defense said in court documents Wrona wanted to know what other sexual relationships his daughter was having.

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