The Summit County Attorney’s Office on Tuesday charged Joseph Wrona with one count of first-degree felony rape relating to an alleged incident that occurred in March.
According to the filing, Wrona entered a condominium where the woman lived and yelled at her about having gone out with friends for St. Patrick’s Day.
According to the charges, he later told the woman he was giving her another chance, but first he wanted to humiliate her. He then allegedly raped her.
Greg Skordas, Wrona’s defense attorney, denied the allegations. He said he and his client have been cooperating with law enforcement agencies in Summit County for months about this incident, and were surprised and disappointed the Attorney’s Office filed charges.
“There was no rape, there was no sexual assault in any way,” Skordas said. “We provided information that we thought supported that. Apparently, the information we provided was not satisfactory. He’s offered to do anything else they would ask him to do to show his innocence. And so I don’t know what else we could have done. But they brought the charges and now it becomes for a judge or jury to decide.”
According to court documents, Wrona has been licensed to practice law in Utah for more than 20 years. He has represented Main Street businessman Ken Abdalla, Olympic champion Picabo Street and argued many times in front of the Summit County and Park City councils.
Wrona is also a former chairman of the board of trustees of KPCW’s parent company.
Wrona was not arrested and remains free after surrendering his passport. Skordas said the fact that Wrona returned from recent international trips shows he has no intention of fleeing.
“We just want our day in court so that he can address the charges head on,” Skordas said.
According to the filing, DNA evidence collected from the woman is consistent with Wrona’s DNA profile. Skordas said there could be an explanation for that, but did not elaborate.
First degree felonies carry a potential penalty of five years to life in prison.
