Summary
Sean McCleve was an LDS bishop in Harrisville, Utah.
In December 2008, McCleve was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison after admitting to sexually molesting three sisters (ages 6, 8 and 12) in Weber County. The mother of a 6-year-old child came forward as well shortly afterward.
According to police, McCleve used his position of trust as a Mormon bishop to molest the little girls.
McCleve allegedly sexually abused children over a long period of time dating from the 1970s to the 2000s.
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Sources
- excerpt from police probable cause affidavit,
- Police say former ward bishop used position to molest girls,
- Former LDS bishop pleads guilty to sex abuse,
- Former LDS bishop sentenced for child sex abuse - Salt Lake Tribune - 2008-12-17,
- Ex-bishop in Harrisville gets prison for sex abuse,
- Former LDS bishop sentenced for molesting young girls,
- Ex-bishop quoted Bible verses in attempt to intimidate a witness, charges say,
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1. excerpt from police probable cause affidavit
[redacted by FLOODLIT; warning: contains graphic/disturbing content]
"The statement of [victim], that in approximately 1994, when she was 7 years old, [...] defendant TIMOTHY MCCLEVE, would come to her residence in West Valley City, Salt Lake County. [Victim] states that the defendant would take her in his vehicle and let her sit on his lap an [sic] steer the vehicle. [Victim] states that while on the defendant's lap he would touch her thigh and vaginal area over the clothes. [Victim] states that on another occasion the defendant was at her residence and took her into a bedroom. [Victim] states that the defendant pulled up her night gown and 'played down there.'"
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2. Police say former ward bishop used position to molest girls
As the one-time bishop of the local LDS ward, lots of people in Harrisville know Timothy O'Sean McCleve.
Residents turned to him for guidance and counseling and trusted him. Police say he used that trust to gain access to three sisters he is accused of molesting.
McCleve was charged Monday - his 51st birthday - with three counts of forcible sex abuse. The charges, filed in 2nd District Court in Ogden, carry a possible sentence of life in prison.
And more charges might follow. Harrisville police Chief Max Jackson said detectives there learned during their investigation that Ogden police had opened a case on McCleve.
Jackson said an Ogden investigator has e-mails between McCleve and a girl who was a teenager when McCleve was her bishop suggesting the two had a sexual relationship.
McCleve, who went by "Sean," served as bishop until sometime in 2004, Jackson said. The chief was a member of his congregation.
Jackson said McCleve maintained friendships and positions of trust within Harrisville, including with one family who had girls ages 6, 8 and 12. McCleve knew when the parents were away, Jackson said, and would come over to visit the children.
"He just kind of drops in, and is just friendly with the children," Jackson said.
Only older children were around to supervise, Jackson said, and that's when McCleve molested the three girls.
The abuse began in July 2006, Jackson said. Then earlier this month, the girls were watching a news report about a Riverton teacher who was arrested on suspicion of child molestation.
"The kids were watching the news, and just kind of off the cuff one of the children, a little gal, made a disclosure to her parents," Jackson said.
Two other girls told their parents similarly stories about McCleve abusing them, Jackson said.
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3. Former LDS bishop pleads guilty to sex abuse
A former LDS Bishop in Harrisville has pleaded guilty to molesting children from his church ward. Originally Timothy McCleve pleaded not guilty to several sex abuse charges, but later he struck a deal with prosecutors.
It's a mystery why McCleve changed his mind, but we know victims were ready to testify in a trial.
In March 2007, McCleve molested three sisters from his ward. The little girls were abused in their home when their parents were gone. The girls came forward after seeing media reports of sexual abuse involving school teacher Frank Lane Hall.
After that a fourth victim came forward, a 21-year-old college student that used to be McCleve's neighbor. She says he abused her when she was 6.
Former LDS bishop pleads guilty to sex abuseSo, is his guilty plea justice for his victims? Harrisville Police Chief Max Jackson said, "We're certainly glad it's come to a conclusion, at least thus far, especially for the victims and their families."
The victims' parents were in court today but did not want to make a statement. They may speak at McCleve's sentencing, which is scheduled at the end of November.
McCleve faces a maximum of 30 years behind bars for the crime.
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4. Former LDS bishop sentenced for child sex abuse - Salt Lake Tribune - 2008-12-17
A former Harrisville LDS bishop who sexually molested three Weber County sisters -- whom he frequently visited at home while their parents were away -- was sentenced Wednesday to prison for up to 30 years.
Timothy O'Sean McCleve, 53, got the maximum sentence from 2nd District Judge Ernie Jones, who ordered two counts of second-degree felony sexual abuse of a child to run consecutively.
Defense attorney Randall Skeen asked for probation and a year in jail, citing McCleve's "extensive record of community service," as well a psycho-sexual evaluation indicating McCleve was "treatable and manageable within the community."
But the judge rejected that option because of the number of victims.
McCleve used his influence as a one-time bishop for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to visit the three sisters -- ages 6, 8 and 12 at the time of the abuse -- and molest them, according to charging documents.
Also, a 21-year-old woman came forward to say McCleve had abused her as a 6-year-old child.
The abuse of the sisters began in July 2006, Harrisville Police Chief Max Jackson has previously told The Salt Lake Tribune.
In March 2007, one of the girls reported the abuse to her parents while watching a news report about a Riverton teacher arrested on suspicion of child molestation. The other two girls then verified their sister's story, Jackson said.
McCleve was initially charged with three counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child. Prosecutors later added a fourth count of second-degree sexual abuse of a child after the 21-year-old said she also was abused as a child.
In September, McCleve pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child and the other counts were dismissed.
McCleve was a bishop until 2004, according to Jackson, who was a member of McCleve's ward. Most LDS bishops serve for about five years.
Skeen noted that the parents of the three girls were "extremely gracious" toward McCleve during the sentencing hearing.
According to Skeen, the girls' father told the judge: "I love him like a brother. I don't hate him. But we do need to protect my daughters."
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5. Ex-bishop in Harrisville gets prison for sex abuse
OGDEN — His lips trembling and barely able to speak, Timothy O'Sean McCleve looked across the courtroom at the mother of his victims.
"From the deepest part of my heart I am truly sorry," he said.
McCleve was sentenced Wednesday to a pair of one-to-15 year prison terms after pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony. McCleve was the former bishop of the Harrisville LDS Church ward that the girls he sexually abused attended. Police said he would often stop by their home while their parents were away.
"He does admit the allegations. He pleaded guilty because he was guilty," McCleve's attorney, Randall Skeen, told the judge.
McCleve, 53, sought probation and said in court he had already been attending therapy sessions. That therapist reported he was treatable and didn't believe he was a predator, Skeen said.
"We're not dealing with a terrible, awful human being," he said Wednesday. "We're dealing with a human being that did some terrible, awful things."
Weber County prosecutors took exception, saying that others have come forward to say they were sexually abused by McCleve going back as far as 15 years ago.
"The position the defendant used to gain access is so absolutely deplorable," prosecutor Bill Daines said.
Speaking to the judge, McCleve sought to "put right what I have done wrong."
"I recognize and accept full responsibility of my actions. I am the owner of them and the man responsible for them," he said.
For their part, the family of the three girls victimized said they do not hate him — but asked for him to be put in prison.
"However, we do not want him to be able to hurt others with his sickness," the victims' mother said. "This has made our girls feel trapped and ashamed for the last 21 months, when it should be him having those feelings and not the victims."
She said that since McCleve has been free pending sentencing, her daughters have felt withdrawn, suicidal and full of anger. One still could not face him in court, she said.
Still, she said, they pray for McCleve, too.
"I still have no anger towards him," the girls' father said. "I love him still."
In sentencing McCleve, Judge Ernie Jones noted that the sex abuse happened repeatedly, with one girl being victimized a dozen times, another 14 times. Two others had come forward reporting abuse dating back to 1977.
"These kids are scarred for life," he told McCleve.
Addressing McCleve's one-time ecclesiastical status, he said: "They looked up to you."
As the sentencing wrapped up, a man interrupted court by applauding as handcuffs were slapped on McCleve. Outside court, the victims' family hugged each other.
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6. Former LDS bishop sentenced for molesting young girls
A former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who pleaded guilty to sexually abusing three young girls in his Harrisville ward, cried today as he was sentenced for his crimes.
But the emotion Timothy McCleve showed wasn't enough to get a lighter sentence: He will spend two to 30 years in prison for molesting the three sisters.
There were no apologies for the cameras, but in court it was a different story. With his lip quivering, Timothy McCleve told the parents of three girls he abused that he was deeply sorry.
The mother, equally emotional, said, "We want to say that we do not hate the defendant, nor do we wish him harm. However, we do not want him to be able to hurt others with his sickness. He has been free all this time while they [the victims] have been withdrawn, suicidal and full of anger."
While he was an LDS bishop, McCleve sexually abused three sisters from his ward. The molestations took place more than a dozen times in their home.
In September, McCleve pleaded guilty. This afternoon, Judge Ernie Jones had to weigh two very different recommendations on the bishop's fate.
The defense pushed for probation and presented a report from a psycho-sexual doctor saying McCleve's condition is treatable. But the prosecution wasn't going for it, and argued that McCleve abused five victims over a period of several years.
The other victims are now adults and came forward after the Harrisville sisters did. Despite all the emotion today, in the end, a bailiff handcuffed the former bishop and took him to prison.
At one point during the sentencing, the father of the victims actually wanted to physically approach McCleve to reassure him that the family still cares for him and holds no ill well against him.
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7. Ex-bishop quoted Bible verses in attempt to intimidate a witness, charges say
ST. GEORGE — A St. George man who served 15 years in prison for sexually abusing two girls while he was their bishop in Harrisville, Weber County, has now been charged with threatening a witness in a parole violation investigation by quoting Bible verses to her.
Timothy Osean McCleve, 69, has been charged with retaliation against a witness, victim or informant, a third-degree felony.
McCleve is currently under investigation for possibly violating the conditions of his parole and the conditions for being on the Utah Sex Offender and Kidnap Registry by "speaking to children he was not supposed to be interacting with," according to a police booking affidavit.
In June, McCleve learned a woman who lives in his neighborhood is a witness to the suspected parole violation being investigation by Adult Probation and Parole. Just an hour after learning the woman was a witness, McCleve went to her house to find out more about the investigation, the affidavit states.
"Timothy then began reading Bible scriptures (Deuteronomy) to her that spoke specifically about witnesses who shall face the same punishment as the sinner," according to the affidavit.
The officer taking the report researched Deuteronomy and noted, "There is a verse within Deuteronomy that speaks about witnesses making false claims and the punishment they should face. (The woman) said during their contact, Timothy also secretly took photos of her," the affidavit alleges.
Police say the woman "is devoutly religious (and) believed Timothy was doing this to intimidate her after finding out she was a witness."
When officers questioned McCleve, he "admitted he believed the investigation was still active as he is currently wearing an ankle monitor due to the investigation. Timothy admitted to speaking to (the woman) about his investigation even though she did not ask about his investigation nor did she request to visit with him. Timothy admitted to reading Bible scriptures to (her) regarding those who 'cast the first stone' but did not have valid reason for doing so considering he has never done that before with her," according to the arrest report.
The witness "expressed great fear for her safety after her interaction with Timothy as she is not sure of everything he is capable of doing to include physically hurting her or family," the affidavit says.
In 2008, McCleve pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony, for repeatedly sexually abusing two girls while he was their Latter-day Saint bishop, although prosecutors say there were three victims. He was sentenced to two consecutive terms of one to 15 years in prison.
While at the Utah State Prison, another victim who was abused in 1994 by McCleve came forward. He was charged in 2011 with two more counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two more terms of one to 15 years in prison. Those sentences were ordered to be served consecutive to each other and to his previous sentence.
McCleve was granted parole in June 2023. Had he served the maximum time, it would have expired in 2063, according to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole's website. The board of pardons issued a warrant for his arrest the day after he was arrested by St. George police.
McCleve has a resolution hearing for his latest charge scheduled for July 23.
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