Ex-Utah county GOP official pleads guilty to paying for sex

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A former Republican Party official in southern Utah has pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a prostitute.

Blake Cozzens filed a guilty plea in court Tuesday and was sentenced to 12 months of probation and a fine of $1,000.

The 28-year-old former Iron County Republican Party treasurer was arrested in February in a sting by St. George Police. He is the son of a Cedar City councilman.

According to court documents, he responded to an ad posted by a police confidential informant on Backpage.com and negotiated via text to pay for sex acts. He then traveled 50 miles from Cedar City to St. George, met the person and paid the person $100 as they had agreed.

A lawyer listed for Cozzens did not respond to requests for comment.