Francis Heber Fuller

Utah man, once an LDS bishop, jailed for child sexual abuse

Heber served a mission in Australia, and was convicted of sexual contact with his granddaughter, who at the time was only a child.

from KUTV on 2019-08-29:

“(KUTV) — A Utah man, who once was a bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is in jail on a two-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child.

Francis Heber Fuller, 78, was originally charged with 11 counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one count of first-degree sexual abuse of a child and lewdness involving a child. Fuller was to face a jury trial this year but instead pleaded guilty to two of the charges that were reduced to second-degree felonies while the rest of the charges were dismissed with prejudice; they cannot be brought against Fuller in the future.

Prosecutors sometimes agree to plea agreements to spare victims of sexual abuse from testifying in court. KUTV does not typically name victims of sexual abuse.

Court documents show that each of the two counts carried a possible one- to 15-year sentence but the prison term was suspended by the court to a one-year sentence for each count with a requirement to serve the full term for each count. Fuller received credit for 11 days already spent in jail.

Court documents also state he will be given “all necessary and appropriate medical treatment” while in jail. He was fined $2,586.

When released from the Utah County Jail after completing the two-year sentence, Fuller will be on probation for four years and must follow Utah’s conditions for sex offenders that includes participating and completing sex offender therapy, observing curfews, having no contact with the victims or their families, not having contact with children under 18, not entering schools, playgrounds, parks or other places where children are present and other rules under the observation of a parole officer.

Fuller was a bishop, leading an LDS congregation in Highland, Utah in 1993. He was featured in an American Fork newspaper announcing the position leading the congregation.

Fuller is may have founded Wasatch Transportation, a company now directed by his son, that transports special needs children to Utah schools but that could not be confirmed. Fuller spoke to the Deseret News as a representative of Wasatch Transportation in 1997.

A video interview with one victim was considered probable cause for arraignment in 2017, court documents state. In 2018, a second victim came forward, delaying court proceedings. Prior to a scheduled June jury trial, Fuller changed his plea.

Fuller was sentenced Aug. 22, 2019, by Judge Kraig Powell.

KUTV contacted the Church but did not receive an official comment about this case at the time of publication.”

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from the Mormon Child Abuse Awareness group on Facebook:

“Yesterday, Francis Heber Fuller, age 79, of Saint George, Utah was convicted of child sexual abuse. A former LDS bishop and high councilman, Fuller is the founder of Wasatch Transportation, a company which provides transportation services for special needs children. Many of the incidents for which he was tried occurred while Fuller and his wife were serving as senior missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Highland, Utah.
As of this writing, the court order is still in draft and was not available to PEC. However, since first being made aware of this information by anonymous sources last night, Protect Every Child has been able to learn the following information:
1.) Very oddly, Francis Heber Fuller’s record at www.policearrests.com contained incorrect information. His birthdate was listed as his arrest date. One of our sources allege that this “mistake” is a deliberate part of the continued cover-up of this case.
2.) According to a thorough search at newspapers.com, which yielded nothing in relation to this case, Protect Every Child is the first media source to break this story. We publicly thank our sources for their trust.
3.) The Utah County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed that Francis Heber Fuller was sentenced to 2 years and ordered into custody yesterday. Fuller was duly brought to the Utah County Jail and is currently incarcerated there. Our investigator informed UCSO of the error on their website. Our investigator called (801) 851-4000 and was directed to the male officer who spoke with them. This male officer provided our investigator with the contact number for the clerk and name of the judge. (Please see #6, 9)
4.) The Utah County Clerk for Judge Derek P Pullan was not at liberty to quote the full court order due to it’s draft status. However our investigator was informed of the following: More than one charge against Fuller was dismissed with prejudice, including a charge of 1st degree felony. There was one guilty plea, amended down from a greater charge, of 2nd degree sexual abuse of a child. Our investigator spoke with a female clerk who did not identify herself. The phone number they dialed (801) 429-1000, was provided by the UCSO (Please see #6, 9)
5.) A source stated that the defendant’s family hired a certain attorney to ensure that information about the case would remain hidden from the public. Therefore, PEC’s investigation included obtaining the name of the lawyer who obviously has been able to accomplish this task so well. The attorney representing the defendant was Loren E Weiss. (Please see #7, 9)
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6.) 8/23/2019 3:45 PM: Tentative Update – Were we misdirected or did we just get lucky? A supporter of PEC has informed us of some new information. The Utah County Sherriff’s officer – who was looking at a computer screen while communicating on the phone – told our investigator to inquire directly to the clerk for Judge Pullan. However, a supporter with access to the the actual paperwork is telling us that Fuller stood before JUDGE KRAIG POWELL. Fuller had 2 guilty pleas, but 11 were dismissed. Why was Fuller given a two year sentence on two 1-15 year charges, why were 11 dismissed… lots more whys now. ~admin Katie
7.) 8/23/2019 4:07 PM: Tentative Update – ATTORNEY RON YENGICH is actually the lawyer who represented Fuller? This is what the supporter in #6 is telling us. (See comments section). That would mean Protect Every Child’s investigator was deliberately misled and then deliberately lied to by both government officers. Stay tuned, folks… other things have been going on behind the scenes all day. ~admin Katie
8.) 8/23/2019 4:45 PM Tentative Update – Our investigator returned to www.policearrests.com to see if Francis Heber Fuller’s data had been updated. Upon first try, an error message came up [due to a typo, oops!]. Upon second try, the whole entire state of Utah seems to have disappeared. (See screenshots and #10)
9.) 8/23/2019 5:30 PM. UPDATE – Friends of PEC obtained documents via https://www.utcourts.gov/xchange/ Case #161403200. Items 6,7,and 8 have been officially CONFIRMED.
10.) 8/23/2019 6:04 PM UPDATE – The link to the policearrests.com website was working again. However, Fuller’s record was not easy to find and doesn’t seem to be listed in the index with other Fullers in Utah. The error in arrest date entered as DOB has still not been corrected.”

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