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Tooele City court victim advocate reports case progress, protection-order work and increases in burglaries and stalking
Summary
Valene Mattson, the city court victim advocate, briefed the council on recent caseloads, a homicide conviction from 2016 moving to sentencing, trends in orders of protection and demographic details of victims her office serves.
Valene Mattson, Tooele City court victim advocate, updated the council on June 4 about recent cases handled by her office, trends in types of crime she has seen and services provided to victims.
Mattson told the council one homicide from February 2016 went to trial in May and jurors returned a guilty verdict; sentencing is expected this fall, after which families will be able to deliver victim impact statements. "That one did make it to trial this or in May and was found guilty by the jurors and will be sentenced probably this fall," she said.
Mattson reviewed caseload trends reported by the victim-advocate office (not the police department as a whole): she compared July-December of last year with January to the present and said domestic violence and aggravated assault are down; assaults on children have remained at a high level; burglaries and stalking have increased. The office has processed 65 orders of protection in the past six months covering child-protective orders, adult-protective orders, criminal protective orders and stalking injunctions.
She described services the office provided, including emergency hotel rooms, food, and transportation to help victims attend court and testify. Mattson said victims aged 30 to 44 are the largest group her office serves. She also said the city's VOCA-funded grant cycle begins July 1 and thanked the council for support.
Council response and staffing note: Council members thanked Mattson. Mayor Winn and council members indicated they will increase her hours and make her a full-time employee in the coming budget, with the mayor noting an upcoming budget approval where those changes will be included.
Discussion vs. decision: This was an informational presentation; council members acknowledged the work and signaled budgetary support but did not take a formal vote during the presentation.
Sources: Remarks by Valene Mattson, Tooele City court victim advocate, recorded during the Tooele City Council meeting on June 4, 2025.
