Keith Benjamin Knutson

Case report

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09/01/92 Seattle, Washington

LDS Keith Knutson, a former LDS Sunday-school teacher has been charged with first-degree child molestation stemming from the alleged abuse of a 6 year old in 1992 who was his student. Victims claim that Bishop Stolker did not report.

“Teacher Charged In Abuse, Seattle Times Staff: Seattle Times News Services Dec.24,
1994

“A former Sunday-school teacher has been charged with first-degree child molestation stemming from the alleged abuse of a student in 1992.

“Keith Knutson, 26, allegedly told a counselor that in 1992 he molested the girl, who is now 8 years old, according to charging papers filed yesterday in Snohomish County Superior Court.

“The girl told her parents about the alleged abuse in September 1992. The victim’s parents then made a report to Mormon Church officials. According to charging papers, the parents apparently expected the church to report the alleged crime to police. The family subsequently moved to King County. Don Stoliker, the bishop for the Alderwood First Ward of the Mormon Church, said the crime was reported to him in 1992 by the child’s parents. Stoliker did not notify police, however, because he had received the information secondhand.

“The child told a public-school counselor about the abuse. After consulting church authorities, Stoliker said he advised the parents to press charges and to report the alleged incident through the public-school counselor. It was a miscommunication that was complicated both by the family’s move to another area and Knutson’s move to another church ward, he said.

“Knutson, a Lynnwood resident, was immediately removed as a Sunday-school teacher.”

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As of 2023, Knutson is a registered sex offender in Lynnwood, Washington.