Summarized by Kent Larsen

Plea Entered in Case That Led to Prosecution of LDS Clergy

LOGAN, UTAH -- The man whose child abuse crimes led to the current prosecution of LDS Clergy for failing to report child abuse has plead guilty to four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The charges filed against Jay Toombs, 43, carry a mandatory prison sentence and a maximum of life in prison for each charge.

Cache county, Utah prosecutor Scott Wyatt is pleased with the outcome. "These young victims don't have to testify," he said. "It's nice not to have to put them through it. It's harder for a boy to testify of being sexually abused by a man, harder than we would expect."

Present for the hearing Tuesday, at which the plea bargain was entered, were alleged victims from as much as 20 years ago. "One [of those attending] was the parent of a victim who was victimized 20 years ago," said Wyatt. He added that Toombs is a suspect in the abuse of a "large number of victims over a range that exceeds 20 years."

The current charges cover crimes committed in the early 1990s, when the victims were aged 7 to 11. When the charges came to light last February, prosecutors considered filing failure to report charges against the three LDS clergy involved, one of whom was a relative of Toombs. However, the prosecutors dropped their investigation after realizing that the statute of limitations on the failure to report had expired.

Since that time, prosecutors in Utah have filed failure to report charges against three other LDS bishops, two of whom are currently fighting the charges, claiming that they were not obligated to report and challenging the constitutionality of the statute.

Source:
Child Molester Guilty of Felony Via Plea Bargain
Salt Lake Tribune 16Aug00 D2
By Shawn Foster: Salt Lake Tribune

See also:
Police Investigating LDS Bishops for Failing to Report Abuse

3 LDS Bishops Can't Be Charged For Failing To Report Sex Abuse