Payson man charged with third sexual abuse case, two victims were underage teens

UTAH COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) — A Payson man has been charged in three separate rape and/or sexual assault cases that took place in Utah County. The assaults all allegedly occurred during 2023 and 2024, and two of the victims were underage teenagers.

Alex Leonard Saunders, 21, is facing 12 felony charges across the three cases. In total, Saunders has been charged with one count of rape, a first-degree felony; two counts of object rape, a first-degree felony; seven counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and two counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony.

First sexual abuse case

Saunders was first arrested on Nov. 21, 2024, by the Santaquin Police Department. According to court documents, on Nov. 19, 2024, officers were dispatched to a report of a rape that occurred near a park in Santaquin.

When police arrived, they located a female victim who was crying and shaking. She was transported to the hospital for a sexual assault exam. The victim explained to officers that Saunders had picked her up and the two had parked at a trailhead. They were making out in the vehicle when Saunders allegedly began removing his clothing and attempting to remove the victim’s.

According to court documents, the victim began protesting and told Saunders to stop multiple times. Saunders then forced the victim to engage in sexual relations, causing her injuries and ignoring her requests to stop. Afterwards, the victim asked Saunders to drop her off at a local park, where she contacted police.

Two days later, on Nov. 21, a Santaquin police officer located Saunders riding a bike near his residence and took him into custody. Documents indicate that Saunders refused a police interview and requested to speak with his attorney. He was charged with rape, object rape, and two counts of forcible sexual abuse on Nov. 25, 2024.

Second sexual abuse case

In July 2025, while still in jail on his initial charges, the Payson Police Department was made aware of a sexual assault that had occurred two years prior involving Saunders. According to police, on July 2, 2023, Saunders met up with a 14-year-old girl he had been messaging on Snapchat.

The 14-year-old clarified that she just wanted to spend time with him and “didn’t want anything sexual to happen.” Saunders 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.

Saunders began 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. Despite her refusals, Saunders allegedly forced the underage girl to perform a sexual act on him.

The Utah County Attorney’s Office charged Saunders with two counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of object rape for this sexual assault.

Third sexual abuse case

Earlier this week, on July 30, Saunders was charged in connection with another forcible sexual abuse case, brought to the Utah County Attorney’s Office by the Spanish Fork Police Department. According to documents, he was involved with a 16-year-old female victim.

Saunders allegedly took the underage teen on a date to the movie theater in Spanish Fork in March 2024. While they were there, he began putting his hand under the victim’s clothes and touching her. The victim told police that she repeatedly asked him to stop, but he ignored her and continued touching her inappropriately.

The victim stopped Saunders and moved his hands away multiple times, but he would continue going back to what he was doing. He allegedly told the victim that he “should have stopped” but that she was “asking for it.”

For this sexual assault, Saunders was charged with three counts of forcible sexual abuse and two counts of attempted forcible sexual abuse.

Saunders has been in the Utah County Jail, being held without bail, since his initial arrest on Nov. 21, 2024. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges involved in his Santaquin case, and prosecutors are working toward scheduling a trial. Saunders has an initial appearance for his most recent case on Aug. 20.