A 22-year-old Utah State University student has been sentenced to 24 days in the Cache County Jail and two years of probation after admitting he sexually assaulted a fellow student while she slept at his apartment. Nolan Forrest Hoyt was sentenced in Logan's 1st District Court, with the case closing out more than a year after the victim first went to police.
According to Cache Valley Daily, Hoyt was sentenced on August 19 after pleading guilty to a Class A misdemeanor count of sexual battery and a Class B misdemeanor count of lewdness. The victim, who had been friends with Hoyt, was asleep at his apartment when the assault occurred. She left afterward for her own apartment, told her roommates what had happened, and reported the incident to police on March 30, 2025.
Court documents cited by the outlet indicate the victim later confronted Hoyt in a recorded phone call, during which he acknowledged touching her without her consent. Police also questioned Hoyt directly about the assault. According to court documents, Hoyt told investigators he had done something he should not have done and blamed his actions on being stupid.
From Felony Suspicion to Misdemeanor Plea
Hoyt was arrested on April 16, 2025, following an investigation by the USU Police Department. At the time of his arrest, he was booked into the Cache County Jail on suspicion of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, as reported by KVNU, before misdemeanor charges were ultimately pursued. An arrest affidavit filed by USU Police described the victim waking up at Hoyt's apartment to find him molesting her and touching himself. It noted she later gave investigators the recorded call in which Hoyt admitted to touching her without consent.
The case ultimately resolved well short of the felony suspicion that triggered Hoyt's arrest. Under Utah Code § 76-3-204 and § 76-3-301, a Class A misdemeanor carries a statutory maximum of up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,500, while a Class B misdemeanor, per Utah Courts, caps out at up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Hoyt's 24-day jail term falls well below either ceiling, with the balance of his 24-month probation term serving as the primary consequence upon his release.
What the Charges Mean Under Utah Law
Utah Code § 76-9-702.1, as outlined by FindLaw, defines sexual battery as intentionally touching another person's intimate parts, whether through clothing or directly, under circumstances the actor knows or should know will likely cause affront or alarm. That statute is classified separately from non-consensual offenses involving penetration or physical force, distinguishing it from the more serious felony allegation Hoyt initially faced.
USU's Broader Response to Sexual Misconduct
The case comes as Utah State University has faced years of scrutiny over how it handles sexual misconduct on campus. The U.S. Department of Justice formally terminated a 2020 settlement agreement with the university on September 16, 2025, after finding USU had satisfied compliance obligations tied to its handling of sexual misconduct cases and law enforcement partnerships, according to the university. That original agreement followed a federal review of USU's handling of sexual misconduct complaints between 2013 and 2017.
The university's Civil Rights and Title IX Office coordinated 843 supportive measures across all USU locations during the 2024–2025 academic year for individuals affected by sexual misconduct or discrimination, ranging from academic adjustments to housing relocation and safety arrangements. USU also enforces a mandatory annual sexual misconduct prevention training policy for degree-seeking students carrying six or more credit hours, placing registration holds on students who fail to complete it. Hoodline previously reported on USU's push to strengthen public safety partnerships with Logan City and Cache County law enforcement.
Research published in April 2025 by the Utah Women & Leadership Project at USU found that Utah ties for fifth place nationally in annual per-capita sentencings for sexual abuse, while cautioning that cases reaching sentencing represent only a small fraction of overall sexual crimes statewide. Sexual violence remains widely underreported across Utah, according to the same research. Hoodline also covered a joint USU-CAPSA conference earlier this year addressing campus and regional violence prevention efforts.
It remains unclear whether Hoyt is still enrolled at USU or what disciplinary action, if any, the university's Title IX office has taken against him. The Cache County Jail, where Hoyt is serving his sentence, is a 48,000-square-foot detention facility in Logan operated by the Cache County Sheriff's Office that has housed county, state, and federal inmates since opening in 2004.
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