Cara Tangaro, attorney for alleged CS member Roselle Stevenson, ex-wife of David Lee Hamblin and alleged abuser of Emily Sheets, filed a motion to recuse the Utah County Attorney’s Office months ago. Today, before Judge Lunnen in Provo, Tangaro failed to obtain the desired result. Deputy Utah County Attorney Michael Starrs successfully parried the motion with a request to wait until after the Manti evidentiary hearing in the Hamblin case involving victim Tobias Schroeder, a former therapy patient of Hamblin’s from Spring City.
That hearing is on July 31st, 2024. The hearing will center on whether or not UCAO should be recused as the prosecuting agency in the Hamblin case for the Manti case.
In order to accurately complete his supplemental brief in the Provo Stevenson case, Starrs requested a hearing after the Manti hearing on July 31st. This was granted. Starrs will have until August 21st to file his supplemental brief in Provo, and Tangaro will have until September 4th to respond. If neither party requests an evidentiary hearing after September 4th, Judge Lunnen will rule on the motion to recuse UCAO from the Stevenson case. If either party files a request for an evidentiary hearing, Judge Lunnen will set an evidentiary hearing on the motion to recuse UCAO.
Tangaro’s motion to lift the restrictions of Roselle Stevenson’s release which require her husband Ford to accompany her five days a week to swim was tabled until September 18th at 1 p.m., when the court will have a status hearing.
Tangaro also claimed that she had spoken to Special Prosecutor Nathan Evershed, who was deputized in the Hamblin case in American Fork. Evershed has not been asked to take over the Stevenson case, as UCAO has not yet been recused.
All in all, Stevenson’s release restrictions remain in place. Utah County is still the prosecutor of record going forward until at least September 4th, depending on Judge Lunnen’s ruling on the supplemental briefs and Tangaro’s motion to recuse.
The game continues. If Judge Lunnen does disqualify and recuse UCAO, we will need to mount a full court press on the State Attorney General’s Office to appoint a special prosecutor in the Stevenson case as well. We might have to do the same depending on the Manti court’s ruling in the Hamblin case there.
Be ready, gentle readers, to light up the switchboards at the AG’s office yet again. God willing, we shall persevere.
Holy Shenanigans