Payson man allegedly sexually abused 14-year-old in church parking lot

PAYSON, Utah (ABC4) — A 20-year-old man is facing charges involving the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old in 2023.

Alex Leonard Saunders, 20, has been charged with two counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of object rape.

According to documents, on July 2, 2023, Saunders was in communication with a 14-year-old girl on Snapchat. Saunders and the juvenile victim made plans to spend time together, and the 14-year-old clarified that she just wanted to spend time with him and “didn’t want anything sexual to happen.”

Saunders agreed with this plan and picked up the 14-year-old victim from her home. She asked if he wanted to go to the sports park, but he responded that “people didn’t like him there” and instead allegedly took the underage victim to a church parking lot.

When they parked, Saunders told the 14-year-old that they were just going to sit and talk in his car. The juvenile victim told police that soon after arriving, Saunders began touching her inappropriately.

The 14-year-old victim told Saunders she didn’t want to do anything, to which he allegedly replied, “It’s fine, you’re safe with me.” The underage girl reiterated that she did not consent and told him she did not want to do anything with him and tried to pull him away from her.

Saunders continued touching the 14-year-old inappropriately despite her trying to stop him. The juvenile victim told police that he eventually stopped touching her, but then began asking her to perform sexual acts on him.

He asked her twice to do something to him, but she refused and told him she wanted to go home. Despite her refusals, Saunders allegedly forced the underage girl to perform a sexual act on him.

Saunders was previously booked into the Utah County Jail for another rape and sexual abuse case that left that victim with several injuries. He has been in custody since November 2024, and is being held without bail.