Gary Wade Brown

Sources

1. Former Orem Boy Scout leader sentenced in child sex abuse case , Daily Herald, August 18, 2009.
2. Ex-Scout leader gets jail for sexual abuse , Deseret News, August 17, 2009.
3. Offender Profile Gary Wade Brown , Offender Radar, April 6, 2024.
4. Gary Wade Brown, Utah Department of Public Safety, January 15, 2010.

• 1. Former Orem Boy Scout leader sentenced in child sex abuse case

  • 20090818
  • News article
  • Daily Herald

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  AMERICAN FORK – A former Boy Scout leader from Orem was sentenced Monday to one year in jail for multiple counts of sexual abuse.

  Gary Wade Brown, 42, pleaded guilty in June to four counts of sexual abuse of a child and sexual exploitation of a minor, second-degree felonies, and one count of lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor. Seven additional charges were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Brown faced one to 15 years in prison for his crimes, but Judge Christine Johnson said Brown may benefit from treatment as a free man during his 36 months on probation.

  “I think, in this case, that it is appropriate to consider probation for Mr. Brown,” she said.

  Brown has already spent 8 months in jail, which will count toward his sentence.

  The sexual abuse took place between 2005 and 2006, in which Brown touched a 12-year-old boy’s genitals and made the boy touch him. Brown also took illicit photos of the boy at least once and then deleted them after looking at the photos with the boy. Several of the incidents took place during outings with the Boy Scouts.

  Johnson said a large factor in her decision was the psychosexual evaluation conducted by Dr. Peter Byrne, who classified Brown as a low to moderate risk for re-offending.

  “Were it not for that finding, I would not consider probation at all,” she said.

  Though Johnson agreed with Byrne’s finding that Brown can be successful in treatment, she said he will receive no second chances if he violates probation. The aggravating and mitigating factors in the case were very close, and Johnson said the aggravating factors needed to be much heavier to order prison. A violation of probation would show Brown needed to be in prison and the sentence was wrong, she said.

  “I sincerely hope that I don’t conclude that I was wrong,” she said.

  Prosecutor Julia Thomas made no sentencing recommendations in the case as part of the plea deal. In order to prevent the need for the boy to testify, Brown pleaded guilty and Thomas agreed not to actively seek a prison term. Thomas said the family of the victim also did not ask for prison, and she was happy the judge looked into all the factors in making her decision.

  “The sentence took into consideration all of the factors that we wanted the judge to consider,” she said.

  The victim’s father addressed the court before sentencing, saying he hopes Brown takes the opportunity to get help. He spoke of the pre-sentence report, in which the writer said Brown may have placed some of the blame on the victim, as he referred to the boy as having a “similar mindset.” The boy’s father, however, said there was no way his son could have brought the abuse upon himself.

  “He was just 12 years old,” the victim’s father said. “He was just a little guy when this started.”

  The boy sought love and affection from male role models because his biological father was absent in his life, the man said. He looked for it with his stepfather and other Scout leaders, and Brown exploited him, he said.

  “That was a need he was looking for — love and affection, not sexual abuse,” he said.

  Though Brown, who was a friend and leader, manipulated the victim, the boy’s father said he hopes Brown will now get treatment and change. This is not an opportunity to throw away the key for Brown, but to make sure he is safe around children, he said.

  “He’s in our prayers,” the father said. “We hope for him to get help.”

  Kevan Allbee, a friend of Brown’s wife, Sheri Brown, read a statement from her to the judge. The couple is going through a divorce after 19 years of marriage, and Sheri Brown asked the judge to protect her and her children from Brown.

  The woman wrote that Brown had an affair early in their marriage with another man, and he has never shown an interest in changing or remorse.

  “Over the years, Wade’s behaviors have gone from being morally wrong to obviously illegal,” she wrote.

  Sheri Brown wrote that her husband betrayed the entire family with his actions and asked that he be incarcerated. One day, his prison doors will open, she said, but his victim’s prison doors may not.

  Despite the report’s indication that Brown may have blamed the victim, he told the judge he takes full responsibility for his actions, and no one else is to blame. Brown apologized to the Boy Scouts of America and to the victim’s family for his crimes.

  “I can’t even fathom the amount of hurt and anger and distrust and pain that I’ve caused them,” he said.

  Brown’s attorney, Shelden Carter, said he was happy Brown did not receive prison time. Though Brown’s crimes were atrocious, he said, he also is a good man.

  “There’s a lot of nice things to say about Wade,” he said.

• 2. Ex-Scout leader gets jail for sexual abuse

  • 20090817
  • News article
  • Deseret News

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  AMERICAN FORK — The Boy Scout program seemed the perfect place for an emotionally fragile 12-year-old boy to learn confidence and leadership skills under the direction of trusted leaders.

  But his parents couldn't figure out why their son always returned from camps angry and dark.

  Several years later, their now 17-year-old son told them it was because he had been sexually abused by his Scout leader, Gary Wade Brown.

  "I was shocked, stunned," the boy's stepfather said. "We really believed Wade was a good leader, trustworthy, kind, loving, (but it) turned out that he was exploitive."

  Brown, 42, was sentenced to a year in jail Monday morning as a result of pleading guilty to four felonies of sexual abuse of a child and one charge of sexual exploitation of a minor. He will get credit for the eight months he's already been in jail.

  Police say Brown confessed to touching the genitals of the young man several times, and having the young man touch his, according to a police affidavit filed in 4th District Court. The abuse happened at Brown's house in Orem, in his car and during Scout outings, sometimes with other boys or leaders just feet away, the boy's stepfather said.

  The boy is on a good path now, and his family has chosen to forgive Brown and not become bitter, the stepfather said, but the entire process has taught them not to hand out "blanket trust" anymore.

  They also want other families to be more aware of who their children are with and what they're doing, even if it's with church leaders.

  "He's in our prayers," the stepfather said of Brown. "We hope for him to get help."

• 3. Offender Profile Gary Wade Brown

  • 20240406
  • News article
  • Offender Radar

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  Status : Active

  PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

  DOB : 02/02/1967
  Age : 59
  Sex : Male
  Height : 5'09''
  Weight : 190
  Race : White
  Hair Color : Brown
  Eye Color : Brown
  Scars & Tattoos:
  Scar on L_forearm (3x Verticle surgical scars)
  Scar on R_forearm (3x Verticle Surgical Scars)
  Scar on R_eyebrow (Scar)

  OFFENSES

  Offense : 76-5-404.1 - SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD/2ND DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 08/17/2009
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5-404.1
  Date Release : 01/15/2010
  Offense Count : 4
  Offense : 76-5a-3 - SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR/2ND DEGREE FELONY
  Date Convicted : 06/16/2009
  Conviction State : Utah
  Statute : 76-5a-3
  Offense Count : 1

  Collected From : Utah State Registry

  ALIAS

  G Wade BROWN
  Wade BROWN

• 4. Gary Wade Brown

  • 20100115
  • News article
  • Utah Department of Public Safety

  • original
  • archived
  • back to list

  Name: Gary Wade BROWN Registration #: 887218
  Aliases: G Wade BROWN
  Wade BROWN
  Status: Active

  Physical Description
  • Age: 59 (DOB: 02/02/1967) • Height: 5'09''
  • Sex: M • Weight: 190lbs
  • Race: White • Eyes: Brown
  • Hair: Brown
  • Scars/Tattoos: Scar on L_forearm (3x Verticle surgical scars) , Scar on R_forearm (3x Verticle Surgical Scars) , Scar on R_eyebrow (Scar)

  Address
  [REDACTED] SALT LAKE CITY, UT 84111
  View Map