Greybull man to serve 18-20 years in penitentiary for sexual assault

Charges reduced from 42 felonies to 16 in plea deal 

Scott Garrison, 62, of Greybull was sentenced to 18-20 years at the Wyoming State Penitentiary on Tuesday, Aug. 18 for 16 felony sexual assault charges in the second and third degrees. 

Big Horn County District Court Judge Bobbi Overfield oversaw the sentencing, the result of a roughly year-long plea deal negotiation that whittled down 42 initial felony charges including incest, sexual exploitation of a child, sexual assault and child abuse. 

“This is certainly one of the most egregious crimes that this court addresses,” Overfield said. 

Garrison pled no contest to the charges and will serve 18-20 years concurrently for all of them, with 510 days credit for time served. Through the terms of his plea agreement, he may not seek sentence modification. He will also be ineligible for parole. 

Garrison was initially arrested on March 28, 2024, following a report from his adult son of sexual assault that had occurred in Big Horn County from 2002-2005. Garrison’s two adult daughters were interviewed by law enforcement on the alleged abuse, which they confirmed took place in Greybull and Shell from the time they were 9 and 10 years old. In a recorded phone call from Jan. 4, 2024 between Garrison and one of his daughters, Garrison stated that the past hurts him as much as it hurts her and was apologetic to her. 

The affidavit, dated March 8, 2024, detailed cases of alleged abuse including forced oral sex, digital and anal penetration inflicted on his daughters, both at their home and at Garrison’s various workplaces, including his Big Horn Cycle and ATV shop in Greybull. 

In Big Horn County District Court on Tuesday, the victims were given nearly an hour to share additional information through their impact statements. Joining Garrison’s children was his ex-wife, who alleged he also physically and psychologically abused her over the years, resulting in a hysterectomy at 29 years old. She alleged he had secretly recorded her in humiliating and abusive situations. 

“To this day, I live with the fear and humiliation of not knowing where those recordings are or who may have seen them,” she said. Reportedly in 2005, their son came forward to her about the abuse he and his sisters had endured. At the same time, Garrison moved his daughters to Arizona. 

“When I learned this, a new fear consumed me. Had my children also been videotaped without their knowledge, the way that I had been? That possibility continues to haunt me to this day,” Garrison’s ex-wife said. 

His children alleged the abuse had continued across state and county lines throughout their childhoods, including in Powell and Ralston. One daughter estimated Garrison’s abuse took place from the time she was 4 to 17 years old, when she ran away. Lasting physical and psychological effects of the abuse were reported to continuously affect all their lives. 

“This was not a single crime or an isolated act. It was a continuous, calculated and intentional pattern of sexual assault, intentional manipulation and psychological torture,” one daughter said. 

 “He is a predator, and a predator does not stop. Proximity of this man to my home is a direct and ongoing threat not just to me, but to every vulnerable child he may encounter.”

Family members reported that Garrison was living near them and Greybull Elementary School before his incarceration and maintained that he was a threat to the community. They asked for the maximum possible sentence, which Overfield granted within the bounds of the plea agreement. He will remain in custody of Big Horn County Detention Center until he can be transferred to the Wyoming State Penitentiary. 

Garrison refused opportunities to speak before the court. 

“Mr. Garrison has not accepted responsibility for this, other than he has entered a no contest plea and was advised at the time that is truly the exact same as a guilty plea for purposes of this court …,” Overfield said. 

Overfield noted that there had been no trial for this case and that the court would not include incidents that may have happened outside of its jurisdiction in its decision. 

“The court would offer [a trial] may have been of great benefit to many,” she said. “It seems to be a very painful situation and difficult for you folks to come address what has happened to you all these years. To deal with the stress of a trial may also cause further trauma … but the opportunity to address the court, to address the person who has brought this harm to you here today, may bring you some relief, some comfort, take some burden off of your shoulders going forward; to recognize that you are strong and you have confronted those demons. That will open doors for you to move forward.”

Garrison’s son, the original reporter, stated, “This is not the end. This is one courtroom, one state, only one story.”

Big Horn County C.A.R.E.S Crisis and Referral Emergency Services are available for victims of all crime, including domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking at 307-568-3334 or by visiting the Big Horn County Courthouse buildings in Basin or Lovell. Department of Family Services can be reached at 616 Second Avenue North in Greybull or by calling 307-765-9453.