Wyoming Supreme Court disbars Utah attorney

CHEYENNE, Wyo. — The Wyoming Supreme Court has issued an order disbarring attorney Samuel W. Cantrell from the practice of law. The disbarment resulted from Cantrell’s guilty plea to two second-degree felony counts of forcible sexual abuse stemming from charges in the District Court of the Second Judicial District in and for the County of Davis, State of Utah.

Cantrell was sentenced to a term of 180 days in the Davis County Jail in Farmington, Utah, 48 months’ probation, and other conditions delineated in the Sentence, Judgment and Commitment. After the sentence was entered, Cantrell was suspended from the practice of law in Wyoming for failure to pay license fees.

In stipulating to disbarment, Cantrell admitted that his conduct violated Rule 8.4(b) (commission of a criminal act that reflects adversely on the lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness, or fitness as a lawyer) of the Wyoming Rules of Professional Conduct. The Board of Professional Responsibility approved the stipulation and recommended it to the Court, which accepted the Board’s recommendation.

In addition to being disbarred, Cantrell was ordered to pay an administrative fee in the amount of $750 and costs of $50 to the Wyoming State Bar.