Hurley youth charged with 8 sex counts

By RICHARD JENKINS

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Hurley — A Hurley man is facing eight felony counts related to inappropriate contact he allegedly had with two minors.

Joshua Richard Quello, 18, faces seven counts of sexual assault of a child under the age of 16 and one count of exposing a child to harmful material, according to the criminal complaint against him filed in Iron County Court Tuesday.

Each assault charge is a Class C felony, with a potential maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison, or a fine of $100,000, while the eighth charge is a Class I felony with a potential penalty of up to 42 months in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

According to the criminal complaint, the alleged crimes took place at various times between Sept. 20, 2016, and March 9, 2017.

The charges are the result of an investigation into an “inappropriate digital image” of a Hurley K-12 female student the district had been made aware of, according to the complaint.

During a conversation regarding the image, the student told authorities she had received an explicit image of a man and alleged Quello had sexual intercourse with her and another minor.

Iron County Undersheriff Donna Klawitter interviewed the second minor, according to the complaint. The second minor said she and Quello had sexual intercourse several times while in a three-month relationship.

According to the complaint, Quello said he and the second student were in a relationship for several months and had sexual intercourse. The complaint alleges Quello also acknowledged sending the first minor the inappropriate picture earlier in March.

Quello is scheduled to appear in court Monday.