Utah drug dealer sentenced to 20 years to life for raping 15-year-old buyer

SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah -- (KSTU) -- A man was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison after being convicted of raping a 15-year-old girl to whom he sold drugs.

On multiple occasions in 2015, Lee Ervin Heyen, 43, and a 15-year-old girl engaged in sexual activity, a declaration of probable cause released in Third District Court stated. The victim of the sexual activity stated that Heyen was her “drug dealer,” and the two spent “a lot of time together” smoking marijuana.

The victim of the assault told police that she and Heyes engaged in sexual activity a total of four times. Heyen was 40 years old at the time of the incidents.

Heyen was charged with seven counts of rape, a first-degree felony, and three counts of distribution of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony. He was found guilty by a jury on five counts of rape and all three counts of distribution of a controlled substance. He was sentenced Friday to five years to life in prison for each count of rape. He was sentenced to up to five years in prison for each count of distribution of a controlled substance. Heyen was not given any credit for time already served.