Local Athlete, Former Ute Sione Lund Sentenced In 2019 Rape Case
Apr 18, 2023, 3:29 PM
(Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
(Photo courtesy of Utah Athletics)
SALT LAKE CITY – Local athlete and former Ute linebacker Sione Lund has been charged and sentenced in a rape case stemming back to a 2019 incident at a house party, according to court documents obtained by KSL Sports.
Lund starred at Brighton High and originally committed to Stanford football in 2018 as a four-star running back recruit. However, issues began to creep up for Lund in Palo Alto and he transferred to Utah in 2019 to be closer to family. Lund played in 13 games for the Utes in 2019 on special teams with eight appearances on defense.
At the start of spring ball in 2020, head coach Kyle Whittingham announced Lund had been suspended indefinitely for violation of team rules without giving any indication when or if he would be back. Lund was officially charged with a crime in March of 2020 before entering the NCAA Transfer Portal for a second time on October 7, 2020.
.@Utah_Football head coach Kyle Whittingham has suspended LB Sione Lund and WR Donte Banton indefinitely.
"Whether they get reinstated or not will be determined at a later time."
Maxs Tupai will not participate in spring ball due to personal reasons.#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/NKDekcJYe9
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) March 3, 2020
Sione Lund’s Sentencing
Court documents show the case against Lund, involving a UVU student, wrapped up Monday, April 17, 2023 in a 3rd District Utah Court with a sentencing of 30 days in jail for attempted forcible sodomy, a third degree felony.
On top of spending 30 days in jail, Lund is expected to pay a reparation of $1457.53 plus interest and register as a sex offender for the next 10 years according to a judgment document.
Once Lund is out of jail, he will be on probation for 48 months, but that could be reduced to 24 months with good behavior.
Attempted forcible sodomy carries a maximum sentencing of 5 years in prison according to Utah law but was reduced as part of a plea deal that the victim agreed to.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
