Crime: 1980s,
Crime city:
Mesa,
Crime county:
AZ - Maricopa,
Crime state:
Arizona,
Convicted:
2020, - LDS mission:
unknown
Alleged:
5 victims, Multiple victims,
Alleged crime scenes:
Unknown crime scene,
Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Registered sex offender,
Alleged failure to report
Alleged church actions: Excommunicated, Ward official accused of failure to report,
updated May 1, 2026 - request update | add info
Gerald Salcido was a Mormon church member who was convicted in 2020 in Arizona of multiple crimes related to child sexual abuse.
Salcido moved to Provo and was a police officer for 12 years, and 10 years as a deputy, then confessed to his wife and bishop that he did sexually assault the girls, he was excommunicated in 2006. Church leaders never informed police about his confession.
Gerald Salcido Mormon Sex Abuse Case Timeline
1980: sex abuse instance against Salcido (per 2018 court documents)
1984: Salcido is a Mesa, Arizona police officer (don’t know when he began with police department)
1984: Salcido allegedly molested an 8-year-old girl and an even younger girl at sleepovers
1985: another sex abuse allegation against Salcido
1992: Salcido began working at the Provo Police Department; he worked there for 12 years, and then another 14 years as a deputy with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office
1995: girl told her parents she was molested by Salcido (19 year old, when she was 8 years-old in 1984)
1995: two young women told investigators in Mesa, Arizona that Salcido had groped and sexually assaulted them 11 years earlier (in 1984) at sleepovers; police allegedly brushed it off and said Salcido was not likely to be convicted due to lack of evidence; the case became dormant; per 2018 Salt Lake Tribune article, “Her parents told the Mesa Police Department about their daughters’ disclosures. An officer wrote a report based on interviews with the two teenagers, but within months, Detective Jerry Gissel wrote: ‘I do not feel it warrants any further follow-up investigation.’ […] Beyond the initial report, no other records exist that outline the efforts police took in the 1990s to look into the claims.”
1995 to 1996: Mormon church involvement
“A flurry of letters were sent between bishops in Utah and Arizona and family members in the year after the sisters’ initial disclosures to police, according to the recently obtained report. An Arizona bishop wrote in a 1995 letter to his stake president, who oversees multiple congregations, that he wanted to make sure Salcido was investigated in Utah and that ‘the allegations seem truthful.’ Another letter from a Utah bishop in 1996 expressed concern and explained the church’s disciplinary process.” – 2018 Salt Lake Tribune article
2004ish: Salcido began working at the Utah County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years
2006: Salcido confessed to his bishop and to his own wife that he sexually abused two girls and three other children who attended LDS Sunday School classes in Mesa, according to his wife, who told a Mesa police officer in 2017, per 2018 Salt Lake Tribune article
2006: Salcido was excommunicated by the Mormon church, according to a police report; church officials allegedly never told investigators about Salcido’s confession
2018: The mother of one of the alleged victims complained to Arizona police; Salcido was arrested and charged with child molestation; per 2018 Salt Lake Tribune article, “He was charged in Maricopa County, Ariz., with two counts of molestation of a child and two counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Court records list the offense dates as 1980, two instances in 1984 and an allegation in 1985.”
2018 LDS church response to allegations of failure to report abuse
Excerpt from 2018 Salt Lake Tribune article:
“When asked about the case, Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for the LDS Church, did not address whether anyone from the church contacted police after Salcido’s excommunication.
“Hawkins said when the allegations were first brought to light, Salcido’s bishop in Utah confronted him and then cooperated with police. Meanwhile, another bishop in Arizona assisted the accusers’ family as it reported the abuse to Arizona law enforcement.
“‘Authorities did not choose to prosecute at that time,’ Hawkins said. ‘Years later, the church was contacted again by authorities and cooperated with a new investigation. We are supportive of the efforts of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute this matter.'”
2020: Via a plea agreement, Salcido pleaded guilty to two third-degree felony counts of attempted child molestation; two second-degree felony charges were dropped
As of May 2026, Salcido is a registered sex offender living in Vineyard, Utah.
As of May 2026, Salcido was trying to filing motions for early termination of probation.
If you have any information on Salcido’s LDS membership history please contact us.
Have any info on this Mormon sex abuse case? Contact us.
Sources
- An ex-Utah County deputy’s confession to Mormon leaders led to his arrest for child molestation 10 years later,
- Gerald Salcido,
- Gerald Salcido,
- Criminal Court Case Information - Case History,
-
1. An ex-Utah County deputy’s confession to Mormon leaders led to his arrest for child molestation 10 years later
Two young women told investigators in Mesa, Ariz., that one of the department’s former officers had groped and sexually assaulted them 11 years earlier at sleepovers.
The handwritten report from 1995 doesn’t explain the steps detectives took next, but within months, the case went dormant. An investigator wrote that there was scant evidence and no likelihood that Officer Gerald Salcido would ever be convicted.
Years went by.
Salcido moved to Utah, where he worked as a Provo officer for 12 years and then another decade as a deputy with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
While he was working for Provo, he allegedly confessed to his crimes — not to police, but to his wife and his Mormon bishop. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints excommunicated Salcido in 2006, but it appears church officials never told investigators about the confession.
Only a dozen years later, when the mother of one of the victims complained to police in Arizona, did Salcido end up arrested and charged with molestation. That happened this January.
A recently obtained police report sheds light on the role religious leaders played in this on-again, off-again investigation that has left the victims frustrated, yet hopeful the man they say molested them some 30 years ago may yet face a prison sentence.
‘I do not feel it warrants any further follow-up’
She was 19 years old in 1995 when she decided to tell her parents about how Salcido, a family member, went into the bedroom she was sleeping in and sexually assaulted her in 1984. Her younger sister had a similar experience.
“We didn’t know each other’s stories growing up,” the now-42-year-old Arizona woman told The Salt Lake Tribune last week. “We just needed to tell our story and get it out.”
The allegations, made more than a decade after the alleged abuse, divided her family, the woman said. Some believed the sisters; many didn’t.
Her parents told the Mesa Police Department about their daughters’ disclosures.
An officer wrote a report based on interviews with the two teenagers, but within months, Detective Jerry Gissel wrote: “I do not feel it warrants any further follow-up investigation.”
Beyond the initial report, no other records exist that outline the efforts police took in the 1990s to look into the claims.
As the case was re-investigated in 2017, Gissel told a Mesa officer that he remembered the accusations against Salcido, whom he worked with in Mesa in the 1980s. He was surprised that no paper trail existed.
“Jerry advised me that many steps were taken into the investigation,” a detective wrote in the most recent police report, “including a confrontational phone call, and even a trip up to Utah where Gerald was working in law enforcement at the time of the report. An interview was conducted with Gerald, but no admissions were made.”
As Gissel was conducting his investigation in 1995, Mormon church officials also got involved.
A flurry of letters were sent between bishops in Utah and Arizona and family members in the year after the sisters’ initial disclosures to police, according to the recently obtained report.
An Arizona bishop wrote in a 1995 letter to his stake president, who oversees multiple congregations, that he wanted to make sure Salcido was investigated in Utah and that “the allegations seem truthful.” Another letter from a Utah bishop in 1996 expressed concern and explained the church’s disciplinary process.
‘So why were the police never called?’But the church did not take any internal action against Salcido until 10 years later, when he allegedly confessed to his then-wife and his Utah bishop. His wife told a Mesa police officer last year that Salcido confessed in 2006 to molesting the two girls, along with three other children who attended Sunday school classes in Mesa.
The confession led to Salcido’s excommunication, according to the police report, but it does not appear church leaders alerted police to the admission.
“I am angry,” the accuser said Wednesday. “I feel like [church leaders] cover up a lot of things, and I honestly feel like that’s what happened. He went to his bishop. He was excommunicated. So why were the police never called?”
It’s something Salcido’s family found puzzling too, according to the 2017 police report.
“They often wondered why nothing happened,” the detective wrote in the report, “and why [Salcido] has never been arrested, until recently realizing that the information had never been relayed to police that [he] confessed.”
The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault.
When asked about the case, Eric Hawkins, a spokesman for the LDS Church, did not address whether anyone from the church contacted police after Salcido’s excommunication.
Hawkins said when the allegations were first brought to light, Salcido’s bishop in Utah confronted him and then cooperated with police. Meanwhile, another bishop in Arizona assisted the accusers’ family as it reported the abuse to Arizona law enforcement.
“Authorities did not choose to prosecute at that time,” Hawkins said. “Years later, the church was contacted again by authorities and cooperated with a new investigation. We are supportive of the efforts of law enforcement to investigate and prosecute this matter.”
Clergy in Arizona are required to report child abuse to police or child welfare agents unless they discover the abuse through, according to the statute, “confidential communication or a confession.”
Utah similarly does not require clergy to report child abuse if the information comes in a confession from the perpetrator. However, the Utah statute requires clergy to report if the information comes from any other source.
In a presentation to victims’ rights advocates in Arizona, lawyers for the Mormon church have said it is not optional to report a suspected offender to LDS leaders so a disciplinary council can be held.
‘I hope that he goes to prison’The only reason the case resurfaced in 2017, the accuser said, was that her mother called Mesa police and asked about the statute of limitations — and told police Salcido had confessed to church leaders.
A Mesa detective re-interviewed the alleged victims and their family members. He concluded that because their accounts remained consistent, coupled with Salcido’s alleged confessions, there was sufficient evidence to charge the man with crimes that took place more than 30 years ago.
And in January, Salcido was arrested in Utah.
He was charged in Maricopa County, Ariz., with two counts of molestation of a child and two counts of sexual conduct with a minor. Court records list the offense dates as 1980, two instances in 1984 and an allegation in 1985.
Salcido has pleaded not guilty. His defense attorney, Matthew Long, said he felt the case was “troubling,” because authorities already investigated so many years ago and felt there was not enough evidence to move forward then.
“The system that’s in place harms victims and defendants alike in these types of cases,” he said. “Because it doesn’t do the victim any good to bring cases many, many years later that weren’t adequately investigated. But too often, what [prosecutors] are relying on is that the allegations are so shocking and so disturbing that the truth doesn’t matter.”
Salcido has posted bail, but his attorney would not disclose whether his client is currently living in Utah or Arizona.
Salcido was fired from his job as a Utah County deputy in January — not over the Arizona allegations, authorities said, but because he missed shifts “without adequate cause.”
He worked for the Utah County Sheriff’s Office for 14 years. He had most recently been working night security at the Utah County Health & Justice building in Provo, according to the Mesa police report.
Before working for the sheriff’s office, Salcido worked at the Provo Police Department for 12 years, beginning in 1992. Officials there say they never knew about the 1995 allegations and never received any other misconduct complaints about Salcido.
The woman who reported the abuse said this week that her feelings are complicated after Salcido’s arrest. She’s still angry about how church leaders handled the case, and she’s not pleased that Salcido was allowed bail and is now out of jail. But she’s happy that, even 30 years later, her case is finally moving forward.
“He should be in prison,” she said. “I hope that he goes to prison and he’s not around other children.”
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2. Gerald Salcido
Status : Active
Perform a Criminal Background Check Instantly
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTIONDOB : 07/12/1954
Age : 71
Sex : Male
Height : 5'04''
Weight : 170
Race : White
Hair Color : Black
Eye Color : Brown
Scars & Tattoos:
Scar on abdomen (4" scar from surgery)OFFENSES
Offense : 13-1410 - Molestation of child (attempted)
Date Convicted : 10/01/2020
Conviction State : Arizona
Statute : 13-1410
Offense Details : *13-1410 ATTEMPT TO COMMIT MOLESTATION OF CHILD, Felony 3 and a Dangerous Crime Against Children
Offense Count : 2REGISTRATION DETAILS
Collected From : Utah State Registry
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3. Gerald Salcido
Name: Gerald SALCIDO Registration #: 10614258
Status: ActivePhysical Description
• Age: 71 (DOB: 07/12/1954) • Height: 5'04''
• Sex: M • Weight: 170lbs
• Race: White • Eyes: Brown
• Hair: Black
• Scars/Tattoos: Scar on abdomen (4" scar from surgery)Address
[REDACTED]
Vineyard, UT 84058
View Map
Other Known Addresses
Offenses
• Description: 13-1410 - Molestation of child (attempted)
• Date Convicted: 10/01/2020
• Conviction State: Arizona
• Release Date:
• Details: *13-1410 ATTEMPT TO COMMIT MOLESTATION OF CHILD, Felony 3 and a Dangerous Crime Against Children
• Counts: 2OTHER ADDRESSES:
[REDACTED]
SCOTTSDALE, AZ 85254 -
4. Criminal Court Case Information - Case History
Case Information
Case Type:
Criminal
Location:
Downtown
Party Information
Party Name - Number
Relationship
Sex
Attorney
Judge
Case #
State Of Arizona - (1)
Plaintiff
N/A
Ramunno, Elisa
Gerald Salcido - (2)
Defendant
M
Long, Matthew
SOCJO
CR2018-000875-001
Disposition Information
Party Name
Gerald Salcido
Crime Date
3/1/1984
Date
3/3/2020
Description
ATTEMPT TO COMMIT - MOLESTATION OF CHILD
ARSCode
13-1410 (F3)
Disposition Code
Pled to Reduced Charge
Disposition
Pled Guilty To Reduced Charge
Party Name
Gerald Salcido
Crime Date
3/1/1984
Date
3/3/2020
Description
MOLESTATION OF CHILD
ARSCode
13-1410A (F2)
Disposition Code
Dismissed - Plea Other
Disposition
Dismissed Due To Plea On Other Count
Party Name
Gerald Salcido
Crime Date
8/12/1980
Date
3/3/2020
Description
ATTEMPT TO COMMIT - MOLESTATION OF CHILD
ARSCode
13-1410 (F3)
Disposition Code
Pled to Reduced Charge
Disposition
Pled Guilty To Reduced Charge
Party Name
Gerald Salcido
Crime Date
8/12/1985
Date
3/3/2020
Description
SEXUAL CONDUCT WITH MINOR
ARSCode
13-1405A (F2)
Disposition Code
Dismissed - Plea Other
Disposition
Dismissed Due To Plea On Other Count
Case Documents
Filing Date
Description
Docket Date
Filing Party
4/27/2026
019 - ME: Ruling - Party (001)
4/27/2026
3/13/2026
REL - Reply - Party (001)
3/16/2026
NOTE:
DEFENDANT’S REPLY TO HIS MOTION FOR EARLY TERMINATION OF PROBATION
3/2/2026
RPT - Response to Petition for Early Termination - Party (001)
3/3/2026
NOTE:
STATE’S RESPONSE TO THE DEFENDANT’S PETITION FOR EARLY TERMINATION OF PROBATION
2/17/2026
MEC = Memo to the Court - Party (001)
2/17/2026
NOTE:
APD Forms
1/20/2026
906 - ME: Response/Reply Times Set - Party (001)
1/20/2026
1/8/2026
MOT - Motion - Party (001)
1/9/2026
NOTE:
Motion for Early Termination of Probation
11/12/2020
RSD - Request to Establish Start Date of Restitution, Probation Service Fees, Fines - Party (001)
11/13/2020
NOTE:
Request to Establish Start Date
10/27/2020
023 - ME: Order Entered By Court - Party (001)
10/27/2020
10/14/2020
RSD - Request to Establish Start Date of Restitution, Probation Service Fees, Fines - Party (001)
10/14/2020
NOTE:
Request to Establish Start Date
10/14/2020
REP - Report - Party (001)
10/26/2020
NOTE:
PRETRIAL REPORT
10/12/2020
DRE - Disposition Report - Party (001)
10/13/2020
10/2/2020
SOP - Sentencing Order - Probation - Party (001)
10/2/2020
NOTE:
SOP - Sentencing Order - Probation
10/2/2020
SOP - Sentencing Order - Probation - Party (001)
10/2/2020
NOTE:
SOP - Sentencing Order - Probation
10/1/2020
TOP - Terms and Conditions Of Probation - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
Terms and Conditions of Probation
10/1/2020
TCP - Terms & Conditions Of Probation/Money Ordered - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
Terms & Conditions of Probation/Money Ordered
10/1/2020
PSD - PSR Supporting Documents - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
PSR Supporting Documents
10/1/2020
PSR - Presentence Report - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
Presentence Report
10/1/2020
ORE - Order To Release/Exonerate Bond - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
Bond Exoneration
10/1/2020
NRR - Notice Of Rights - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
10/1/2020
TOP - Terms and Conditions Of Probation - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
Terms and Conditions of Probation
10/1/2020
TCP - Terms & Conditions Of Probation/Money Ordered - Party (001)
10/1/2020
NOTE:
Terms & Conditions of Probation/Money Ordered
8/17/2020
169 - ME: Sent/Dispo Reset - Party (001)
8/17/2020
7/24/2020
002 - ME: Hearing Vacated - Party (001)
7/24/2020
7/23/2020
ROB – Release Order Secured Appearance Bond - Party (001)
7/24/2020
NOTE:
$75,000 Secured Appearance Bond
7/23/2020
ROB – Release Order Secured Appearance Bond - Party (001)
7/24/2020
NOTE:
$75,000.00
6/11/2020
169 - ME: Sent/Dispo Reset - Party (001)
6/11/2020
6/9/2020
MCO - Motion To Continue - Party (001)
6/10/2020
NOTE:
MOTION TO CONTINUE
4/7/2020
169 - ME: Sent/Dispo Reset - Party (001)
4/7/2020
3/31/2020
MCO - Motion To Continue - Party (001)
4/1/2020
NOTE:
MOTION TO CONTINUE
3/18/2020
105 - ME: Plea Agreement/Change Of Plea - Party (001)
3/18/2020
3/3/2020
PAG - Plea Agreement - Party (001)
3/6/2020
1/17/2020
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
1/17/2020
10/23/2019
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
10/23/2019
8/22/2019
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
8/22/2019
7/2/2019
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
7/2/2019
5/21/2019
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
5/21/2019
5/1/2019
023 - ME: Order Entered By Court - Party (001)
5/1/2019
4/30/2019
REP - Report - Party (001)
5/3/2019
NOTE:
PRETRIAL REPORT DATED 04/25/19
3/27/2019
083 - ME: Conference Reset/Cont - Party (001)
3/27/2019
3/19/2019
MCO - Motion To Continue - Party (001)
3/20/2019
NOTE:
Motion to Continue
1/15/2019
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
1/15/2019
10/22/2018
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
10/22/2018
8/17/2018
027 - ME: Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
8/17/2018
6/26/2018
023 - ME: Order Entered By Court - Party (001)
6/26/2018
6/26/2018
172 - ME: Pretrial Conference Reset - Party (001)
6/26/2018
6/25/2018
REP - Report - Party (001)
6/26/2018
NOTE:
PRETRIAL
6/15/2018
MCO - Motion To Continue - Party (001)
6/15/2018
NOTE:
Motion to Continue
5/1/2018
ALG - Allegation - Party (001)
5/2/2018
NOTE:
STATE'S ALLEGATION OF AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES
4/10/2018
083 - ME: Conference Reset/Cont - Party (001)
4/10/2018
3/9/2018
599 - ME: Complex Case Order/Initial Pretrial Conference - Party (001)
3/9/2018
3/8/2018
ROB – Release Order Secured Appearance Bond - Party (001)
3/8/2018
NOTE:
Secured Appearance Bond $ 75,000.00
3/1/2018
RTR - Return Receipt For Official Court Files/Transcripts/Exhibits - Party (001)
3/6/2018
2/23/2018
OFT - Order for Temporary Removal of Court File/Transcripts/Exhibits - Party (001)
2/27/2018
2/23/2018
MTR - Motion for Temporary Removal Of Court File/Transcripts/Exhibit - Party (001)
2/27/2018
NOTE:
OR TAPES PURSUANT TO MARICOPA COUNTY LOCAL RULE 2.8(E)
2/23/2018
RRF - Release Receipt For Official Court Files/Transcripts/Exhibits - Party (001)
2/27/2018
2/15/2018
DAR - Notice of Disclosure and Request for Disclosure - Party (001)
2/16/2018
NOTE:
STATE’S NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE AND REQUEST FOR DISCLOSURE
1/30/2018
GJT – Grand Jury Transcript - Party (001)
1/30/2018
1/26/2018
152 - ME: Not Guilty Plea Arraign - Party (001)
1/26/2018
1/22/2018
BON - Bond - Party (001)
1/24/2018
NOTE:
SURETY CRUM & FORESTER INDEMNITY $75000
1/17/2018
NAR - Notice Of Appearance - Party (001)
1/18/2018
NOTE:
Notice of Appearance
1/16/2018
WRS-Warrant Served - Party (001)
1/17/2018
Plaintiff(1)
NOTE:
01/15/2018
1/15/2018
IAD - Initial Appearance Document - Party (001)
1/17/2018
NOTE:
IA Packet
1/15/2018
ROC– Release Order/Order Regarding Counsel - Party (001)
1/17/2018
NOTE:
IA Release Order
1/4/2018
NOT - Notice - Party (001)
1/19/2018
Plaintiff(1)
NOTE:
RULE 2.3 VICTIM IDENTIFIER INFORMATION FORM
1/4/2018
CID - Court Information Sheet - Party (001)
1/19/2018
Plaintiff(1)
1/4/2018
IND - Indictment - Party (001)
1/19/2018
Plaintiff(1)
1/4/2018
604 - ME: GJ True Bill/Warrant Issue - Party (001)
1/19/2018
Case Calendar
Date
Time
Event
1/15/2018
20:00
Initial Appearance
1/23/2018
8:30
Original Arraignment Hearing
3/8/2018
8:15
Initial Pretrial Conference
4/9/2018
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
4/9/2018
8:31
Comprehensive PreTrial Conference
6/19/2018
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
8/14/2018
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
10/17/2018
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
1/9/2019
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
3/20/2019
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
5/7/2019
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
6/26/2019
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
8/15/2019
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
10/15/2019
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
1/7/2020
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
3/3/2020
8:30
Complex / Capital Case
4/15/2020
8:29
Sentencing
6/11/2020
8:30
Sentencing
7/23/2020
8:30
Sentencing
10/1/2020
8:30
Sentencing
Documents
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