A 44-year-old Thermopolis, Wyoming, man has been sentenced to between 30 and 50 years in prison for molesting a boy repeatedly from ages 4-14, according to a judge’s Thursday order.
Douglas L. Nelson pleaded guilty last month to two counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor and one count of second-degree sexual abuse of a minor after establishing a plea agreement with the Hot Springs County Attorney’s Office, according to the order by state District Court Judge Bill Simpson.
On the first two counts, Simpson sentenced Nelson to 30-50 years each, but layered those sentences to run concurrently, as outlined in the plea agreement. On the third count and again in keeping with the plea agreement, the judge added a probation sentence of five years. But if Nelson were to fail probation, he could spend another eight to 12 years in prison.
Had he gone to trial and been convicted on all counts he originally faced, Nelson faced the possibility of more than 200 years in prison.
Simpson ordered Nelson to pay $450 to the Wyoming Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund, along with other court costs and fees.
Nelson’s pre-sentence jail time of 256 days was credited against his prison sentence.
Lastly, the judge ordered Nelson to have no contact with the case victim, a few others invovled, or any minor children.
Last Year
The investigation started Nov. 28, 2023, when Thermopolis Police Department Officer Ryan Loving met with a mother and her son at the police department.
That night just before 1 a.m., the boy had divulged to his mother that Nelson molested him for most of his childhood, says an evidentiary affidavit filed in the case.
The boy went to Casper for a Children’s Advocacy Project child-forensic interview, where theinterviewer questioned the boy for about two hours and sent the video to Loving that same evening.
The boy told the interviewer that Nelson made him engage in sex acts for years, the affidavit says.
The abuse stopped years ago because another boy came forward with allegations that Nelson was sexually abusing him, and this spooked Nelson, the boy reportedly told the interviewer.
