was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Blackfoot, Idaho; accused of sexually abusing many children; his stake president allegedly knew Empey was abusing kids; convicted of child molestation in May 1991; sentenced to two years probation

class="case-summary-title">Facts

Summary

molested many children in several congregations

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01/01/83 Blackfoot, Idaho

Dennis Empey’s “neighbor writes a judge a letter saying, “this man has molested so
many children that it involved four Bishops from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” The Plaintiff, “says he told his stake president. The Stake President told him
he knew about Empey’s history of molesting children.”

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from Idaho Boy Scouts Abuse:

“Perpetrator: Empey, Dennis – Mormon
Place: Idaho Falls, Provo
Troop & Location: Grand Teton Council – Idaho, Island Park Scout Camp – Idaho, Utah National Parks Council, Great Salt Lake Council
Years in BSA: Put in the IV Files in 1988, Scouting 1983 – 1990’s
Description/Convictions:
Raped a scout in 1983 at camp – reported it to the camp director but nothing was done. Scout later told LDS stake president, and the president verified that Empey was also being investigated for rapes in Provo. Empey was Convicted of child molestation in May, 1991 and sentenced for 2 yrs. probation. Post Register – Zuckerman
Sex Offender Registry Details
Evidence of LDS Knowledge: 1993
Victim Notified LDS Stake President 10 yrs after rape. The Stake president said they had already known of Empey’s molesting boys. Post Register Article – 6/23/05 – Peter Zuckerman Dennis Empey in the News:
More Pedophile Cased Emerge With Scout Camp Connections
Scout case ‘not found’ – Court records show fourth pedophile led several Boy Scout outings

Timeline for Dennis Joe Empey:
DOB: 12/13/1957 St. Luke’s, Boise, Idaho

1972
Received specialized training in Boy Scout Leadership at Philmont Scout Ranch and Explorer Base (New Mexico.) (Idaho Falls Post-Register, 6/22/1972)

1976
Selected to head the Red Beret Leadership Corps for the Cedar Badge Spirit of ’76 encampment scheduled for June 21-26 at the Treasure Mountain Scout Camp of the Tetons. (Idaho Falls Post-Register, 2/9/1976)

May 1976
Commencement for Teton High graduates. (Idaho Falls Post-Register, May 18, 1976)

Summer 1976
Serving as Youth Coordinator in Teton County for State Senator Stan Kress campaign. Article states Empey will be attending Ricks College in the fall. (Idaho Falls Post-Register, July 23, 1976)

1977
Provided entertainment (comedy team) at the first Teton Peaks Council Cub Scout Day Camp. (Idaho Falls Post-Register, July 27, 1977)

Spring, 1981
Molested Scout with the Order of the Arrow at the LDS Chapel in Idaho Falls.

June, 1983
Empey flashed a gun and then raped a Scout at the Island Park Scout Camp.

June, 1983
The Scout reported the rape the next day to the camp director, Kim Hansen. Hansen was friends with Empey and suggested to the Scout that if he couldn’t get along with Empey that he wouldn’t be welcome at the camp the next year.

September 1983 – April 1984
Empey attended BYU (BYU Police Department has no records pertaining to Empey.)

8/9/88
Letter from Paul Ernst to Reese Faulkner, Scout Executive with Utah National Parks Council requesting info on Empey.

8/30/88
Letter to Paul Ernst from Hart Bullock stating Reese Faulkner had spoken to Empey and that Empey “confessed to a totally separate sexual child abuse situation from the one that we were aware of.” According to the letter, Empey had been “very active in Scouting in Idaho Falls and in Provo…” Empey agreed to disassociate himself with Scouting activities.

12/6/88
Second request from Paul Ernst to Reese Faulkner for info on Empey.

12/12/88
Dennis Empey placed in the IV Files.

5/10/91
Dennis Empey befriended a family in Provo, UT., molested the children, was convicted and served a 2 yr. probation

1993
Dennis Empey moved back to Idaho, was hired back at the Teton Council to do graphic design work.

2007-2008
Active in the LDS Church. (online postings)

Fall 2011
A juvenile at a skate park in Driggs had a “bad feeling about a man who had been at the skate park.” The man, who turned out to be Empey, had been taking pictures of kids and asking them to sign a waiver so he could post the pictures on the internet. (Teton Valley News, September 29, 2011)”

As of 2023, Empey lives in Driggs, Idaho.

Videos

    • Video title: Church and the Fourth Estate
    • Video description: per The Intercept: "In 1997, while at a Boy Scout camp in Idaho, Adam Steed was sexually abused by a Scout leader and Latter-day Saints mentor named Brad Stowell. (The Boy Scouts have historically been closely connected to the Church of Latter-day Saints, often known as the Mormon church.) When Steed sought to report the abuse, leadership at the camp failed to act, so the then-14-year-old boy took it on himself to call the police, who descended on the camp and arrested Stowell. “That should be the end of the story,” Steed told me when I interviewed him, “where the good guys come in and fix it. But unfortunately, that was just the beginning." Description source: https://theintercept.com/2020/12/21/boy-scouts-abuse-scandal-film/

Sources

  1. Dennis J. Empey - the Perversion Files - Los Angeles Times - accessed 2023-01-09
    view source details | |
  2. Boy Scouts, Mormon Church Accused of Abuse - Courthouse News Service - 2013-06-26
    view source details | |
  3. Idaho Boy Scout Abuse - Dennis Empey - accessed 2023-01-09
    view source details | |
  4. Scouts' honor - The whistle-blower - by Peter Zuckerman - Post-Register - 2005-02-27
    view source details | |
  5. Dennis Empey - Idaho Sex Offender Registry
    view source details | |

Source details

Browse the Mormon Sexual Abuse Database

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