Summary
Paul Burdick was bishop of the Hillsboro Ward in Oregon until shortly before being arrested in 2019. Accused (and sentenced) of sexually abusing teenage girls in his job as a drivers ed teacher. Served 6 months in jail.
FLOODLIT’s sources indicate that Burdick had previously served as the Hillsboro Ward’s elders quorum president.
“Oregon driver’s ed teacher, accused of sexually abusing 21 students, gets 6 months in jail
Published: Feb. 24, 2020, 1:12 p.m.
Shane Dixon Kavanaugh | The Oregonian/OregonLive
A Portland Community College driving instructor, accused by nearly two dozen girls or women of sexually abusing them during lessons, was sentenced Feb. 20 to six months in jail, the Washington County District Attorney’s Office said.
Paul Douglas Burdick, 48, pleaded guilty to six counts of third-degree sex abuse, a misdemeanor, in January, court records show. He had faced another 15 counts of sex abuse, which prosecutors later dismissed.
Burdick was accused of groping driving students during practice or test drives and would instruct some of the young women to perform jumping jacks to record them on his cellphone, authorities said.
Paul Burdick
Paul Burdick (Washington County Sheriff’s Office)
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said the suspected abuse occurred between 2012 and 2018 while Burdick taught driving courses at the school’s Willow Creek Center in Hillsboro. Portland Community College fired him in April 2019 amid the criminal investigation.
Burdick also served as a bishop at the Hillsboro Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which later removed him from the post.
After Burdick’s arrest in September, three of the sex abuse victims filed a lawsuit against him, seeking $2 million each.”
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Alleged coverup- Criminal: Convicted,
- Positions: Bishop, Elders quorum,
- During crime: Bishop,
- When accused: Bishop,
- Victims: 10 or more victims, Multiple victims,
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Born: 1972
- AKA Mr. Burdick
- Mission: unknown
- Locations: Oregon,
Sources
- Hillsboro driver ed teacher, LDS bishop in court on sex abuse charges,
- Mormon leader accused of sexually abusing 15 students,
- Oregon driver’s ed teacher, accused of sexually abusing 21 students, gets 6 months in jail,
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1. Hillsboro driver ed teacher, LDS bishop in court on sex abuse charges
HILLSBORO, Ore. — A driver education teacher and Mormon bishop arrested for the sexual abuse of 15 underage girls made his first appearance in court today.
Paul Douglas Burdick, 48, of Hillsboro faces 21 counts of third-degree sexual abuse.
Detectives said they've identified 20 victims, but the cases of five fall outside the statute of limitations. And since his arrest ten other alleged victims have come forward, so more charges may be added.
Burdick taught driver education at Portland Community College's Rock Creek campus. He was also the bishop of the Hillsboro Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).
Both PCC and the LDS Church have cooperated with the investigation and removed Burdick from his positions when they were informed of the allegations against him.
All the victims were girls, many high school students who took driver education classes through PCC, and were in Burdick's classes. Detectives believe all the victims so far came in contact with Burdick as driving students, but that some may have first known him though the LDS church.
Victims report Burdick groped them while they took practice or test drives, and would also make them perform jumping jacks and try to record it on his cell phone.
The allegations range from 2012 through 2018 when Burdick was removed from his positions.
Detectives believe there are more victims and they would like to speak with anyone who may have been affected by Burdick’s alleged crimes. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office at 503-846-2700. Burdick's next court appearance is October 7th at 9 a.m. Burdick remains out of custody and declined to speak with KGW after his court appearance Tuesday.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released the following statement on Burdick:
"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no tolerance for abuse. We have removed Burdick from his leadership role and he has been prohibited from serving with children. We support the efforts of law enforcement to investigate this matter and have fully cooperated in their investigation. Those who abuse children are also subject to formal discipline from the Church, including the loss of their membership in the church."
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2. Mormon leader accused of sexually abusing 15 students
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3. Oregon driver’s ed teacher, accused of sexually abusing 21 students, gets 6 months in jail
Documents
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Criminal case documents
FLOODLIT does not have information regarding whether a related probable cause affidavit exists. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for one.Civil case documents
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FLOODLIT does not have information regarding whether other related documents exist. Please check back soon or contact us to request that we look for some.Videos
- Video title: Hillsboro driver ed teacher, bishop arrested for sex abuse - KGW - 2019-09-05
- Video description: "Teacher, former bishop arrested for child sex abuse"