Ex-Idaho ski area manager gets jail, probation for sexual battery at company party
The former Idaho ski resort manager accused of groping several people during a company party pleaded guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor sexual battery of three women and misdemeanor battery of a girl.
Valley County Magistrate Judge Lamont Berecz ordered Brad Larsen to serve four years of supervised probation. He was sentenced to 180 days in jail for the battery and one year in jail for the sexual battery, but the judge suspended all but 60 days in jail.
Larsen is the former general manager at Tamarack Resort, and the crimes occurred at the resort’s employee party. He resigned from the position after the assaults.
Berecz granted Larsen a withheld judgment, meaning that if he is successful on probation, he could go back before the court and request to have the charges dismissed from his record. If Larsen is successful on supervision, Berecz said he also would consider shortening the probationary period.
The battery charge stems from an incident at the Jan. 26 party in which Larsen was attempting to dance with a 14-year-old girl, according to the prosecution. The girl did not want to dance, so Larsen proceeded to give her a “lap dance” in which he touched the girl’s thighs, Valley County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Serhiy Stavynskyy said.
Other party attendees then approached and attempted to pull Larsen off of her and he grabbed a woman’s breast.
The sexual battery charge Larsen pleaded guilty to stems from grabbing that woman’s breast and touching two other women’s buttocks while making sexual comments, the prosecution said.
Stavynskyy said the party had many employees witness the events while others were drinking and dancing. He said many employees were trying to “contain” Larsen, who allegedly kept touching people inappropriately to “the point where the only thing they could think of was calling police.”
Police arrived and took statements from witnesses and victims.
Larsen was initially accused of misdemeanor sexual battery of seven people, including two minors, and misdemeanor battery of one person. Pursuant to a plea agreement, Larsen pleaded to the two charges that name four victims.
Defense attorney Scott Erekson said his client was sorry for his actions and voluntarily had given up drinking, and noted that Larsen had no criminal history. Erekson said Larsen knows that he “clearly crossed the line” and that the excessive amount of alcohol he had the night of the party contributed to his actions.
“He sees what kind of personal pain people have gone through as a result of his actions,” Erekson told the judge in a virtual court appearance.
Erekson said some of the people Larsen touched that night interpreted it differently than others. At least one person initially named as a victim later stated that they did not feel like what happened was a criminal assault.
“I’d ask the court not to let all the good he’s done be overshadowed (by) this,” Erekson said. “He did not go in that night intending to commit a crime.”
Larsen, who now lives in Minnesota, spoke during the hearing. He said that because of the amount of alcohol he had consumed, he did not remember all of the events, but when he read victims’ statements, he was appalled.
“I want to apologize to the all the parties that were involved,” Larsen said.
The judge told Larsen that he was confident the defendant was remorseful and ashamed, but punishment was necessary.
“People have to know there are consequences for this type of behavior,” Berecz said.” ... Particularly people in positions of authority. You were in a position of power and authority of most of the people there.”
The judge asked attorneys to meet again on July 1, because although he will allow Larsen to serve his jail time in Minnesota, he needs to know what options the jails have amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said he needs more information about what Minnesota jails are currently offering before determining whether Larsen could be eligible for specific programs.
Some correctional facilities have stopped programs such as work release in an effort to stop the spread of the virus.
Larsen also will be required to write a letter of apology to all four victims. He will not be required to register as a sex offender because Idaho law does not mandate that defendants in misdemeanor cases register as such.
This story was originally published June 17, 2020 at 4:00 PM.
