Larren Bybee Arnold

Summary

2025 – Update coming soon. FLOODLIT has learned of multiple lawsuits against the Mormon church involving allegations of sexual abuse by Larren Arnold.

The Mormon church paid $50,000 to one of Arnold’s victims in 2001.

In 1990, a Mormon leader allegedly knew Arnold had molested one or more boy scouts.

On May 31, 1990, Kim A. Hansen, scout executive over the Ore-Ida Council (No. 106), wrote a letter to the Boy Scouts of America’s director of registration service, Paul Ernst.

Hansen wrote, “Mr. Arnold’s ecclesiastical leader […] had first-hand knowledge of child sexual molestation of one or more Scouts. No charges were filed as the mother was talked out of it at the time by church leaders. As near as I can tell, no council leadership were ever informed.”

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A victim filed a lawsuit on June 7, 2012 against the Mormon church, alleging that Arnold sexually abused him when he (the plaintiff) was about 13 years old, and that Mormon officials knew of abuse allegations against Arnold but failed to act to protect the plaintiff.

Perpetrator: Arnold, Larren – Mormon
Place: Caldwell, Nampa, Pocatello

Troop & Location: Grand Teton Council-Tendoy Area, Ore-lda Council 106
Years in BSA: Put in IV Files in 1991, Scouting from 1963-1989
Description/Convictions:

Accused of molesting scouts in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s. Convicted of Lewd Conduct with a
Minor in October, 1984

Evidence of LDS Knowledge:
Fall of 1964 per the deposition of Richard White in the case of Tom Doe v LDS/BSA#2:08-
cv-371-SL) taken 1/7/09

Timeline for Larren Bybee Arnold:

DOB: 8/30/1935 SSN Issued in Idaho
1964 Molested Scout (s) Nampa LDS Troop

Father of scout reports abuse to LDS Bishop Hales, who was also the Scout
Executive for Ore-lda Council. The father followed up with the Bishop and was told
that it was being taken care of. Nothing was ever done, and Larren Arnold remained
active for 20 years.

1984

Arrested for Lewd Conduct with a Minor Under Sixteen (molested a nine year-old
boy) in Bannock County. Pled guilty and convicted. Received a five year suspended
sentence and three years of probation. His probation terms included not having any
association with children except while in the company of another adult and/or adults.
He was released from probation on June 1, 1988.

1985

Moved to Pocatello per letter from Kim Hansen. Had been active in the Ore-lda
Council until that time.

11/14/89

Letter from Paul Ernst to Hart Bullock of the Great Salt Lake Council inquiring
about the child sex molestation charges on Arnold.

02/15/90

Second request sent to Great Salt Lake Council.

04/05/90

Letter from Paul Ernst to Kim Hansen, Ore-lda Council Scout Executive requesting
info on Arnold.

05/31/90

Letter from Kim Hansen to Paul Ernst regarding the whereabouts of Larren Arnold.
Letter states “…Mr. Arnold’s ecclesiastical leader and had first-hand knowledge of
child sexual molestation of one or more Scouts. No charges were filed as the mother
was talked out of it at the time by church leaders.”

06/12/90

Letter from Paul Ernst to Brad Allen, Scout Executive of the Grand Teton Council
regarding Arnold.

09/10/90

Second request from Paul Ernst to Brad Allen for info on Arnold
01/08/91

Third request from Paul Ernst to Brad Allen for info on Arnold.

01/17/91

Larren Arnold place in the IV Files.

2008

Suit filed against BSAand Mormon church by O’Donnell, Clark & Crew. Got moved
to Idaho Federal Court and settled last fall.

For informations on the Tom Doe v the COP case see: Tom

DOE, v. CORPORATION OF THE ASSOCIATION OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE
CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS; Corporation of the President of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and Successors; Boy Scouts of America;
and ORE-IDA Council, Inc., Boy Scouts of America, Defendants. No. 08-CV-371-SU.

2009 WL 2132722 OREGON

Tom DOE v. PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-
DAY SAINTS; President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; Boy Scouts of
America; Ore-lda Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Defendants. No. 1 :09-cv-00351-
BLW. 2012 WL 3782454 IDAHO

This case ended in a settlement in 2012; the payment amount was confidential.

Tom DOE, v. CORPORATION OF THE PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS
CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, a foreign corporation sole registered to do business in
the State of Oregon; Corporation of the President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints and Successors, a foreign corporation sole registered to do business in the

State of Oregon; the Boy Scouts of America, a congressionally chartered corporation,
authorized to do business in Oregon; and Ore-lda Council, Inc., Boy Scouts of America, an
Idaho non-profit corporation doing business in Oregon, Defendants. No. 1 :09-cv-00351-
BLW. 2012 WL 2061417 IDAHO

05/10/85 Idaho

LDS Larren ByBee Arnold was placed on the BSA confidential files. “All contacts
expressed concern about Larren Arnold’s reputation with chid sexual molestation. One
contact, however, was Mr. Arnold’s ecclesiastical leader who had first-hand knowledge of
child sexual molestation of one or more Scouts. In the past, no charges were files as the
mother was talked out of it at the time by church leaders.”

“The Boy Scouts of America and the Mormon church face another lawsuit for alleged child
sexual abuse. The Scouts blacklisted Arnold in 1991, six years after his conviction, Scout
records show. The plaintiff, now 53, is the seventh Portland man suing the Boy Scouts for
alleged sexual abuse. One case, brought by two brothers last year, also targets the Mormon
church. Combined, all the suits seek $33 million. The latest case, like one other, alleges the
Boy Scouts and the Mormon church knew by the 1960s they had a widespread pedophile
problem. The Scouts nationally removed leaders at a rate of one every three days for child
molestation, the latest suit says. Arnold, reached in Arizona, said he lives in Pocatello,

Idaho. He said he abused more than one boy while a Scout leader, stayed in Scouting for

1 2 to 15 years and that the church and Scouts never questioned his background or tried to
stop him. Arnold said he turned himself in in 1984 for abuse in the Bannock County case.

He said he has had a clean record since, went through years of treatment and doesn’t recall
molesting anyone in Oregon”

“Plaintiff Tom Doe alleges that his scout leader sexually abused him from 1967 through
1970, beginning when plaintiff was around 13 years old. He says the Boy Scouts of America
and the LDS Church jointly ran his scout troop, and that both organizations “knew that the
Scouting program itself posed a danger to adolescent boys because the Scouting program
had shown a concrete, longstanding, consistent, and widespread problem with sexual
abuse by Scout leaders and adult volunteers.”

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Arnold died in 2017.