was a Mormon elementary school teacher and BYU-Idaho adjunct professor who sexually abused a 12-year-old child; pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor and two counts of attempt to commit child molestation; sentenced to 25 years in prison and a lifetime of probation after

Case report

LDS Kenne Worthen, “A married Mormon elementary school teacher had a sexual relationship with one of his 12-year-old students – and was only stopped when her classmates told other teachers, police have revealed.”

“Kenne Worthen, 27, allegedly started flirting with the sixth grader at Longview Elementary School in Phoenix last August and the relationship turned sexual in January, FoxlO reported.” Worthen, “is also an International Pathway Adjunct Professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho, where he teaches life skills and English to international students, according to his Linkedin page.”

‘Mr. Worthen was employed by the university as an online adjunct instructor,’ a university spokesperson told DailyMail.com. ‘However, his employment was terminated as soon as the university was made aware of his arrest.”

“He has also previously held after-school teacher roles in Idaho and volunteered as a Boy Scouts supervisor, according to his Linkedin page. The profile also suggests he is a follower of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.”

Case facts

Case videos

    • Video title: Phoenix teacher’s arrest alarming schools and neighbors
    • Video description: Kenne Worthen now facing five felony charges.

Case information sources

  1. Former Phoenix teacher sentenced to 25 years in prison
    view source details | 21 Apr 2015 | Daily Mail
  2. Married elementary school teacher had sexual relations with 12-year-old student: cops
    view source details | 21 Apr 2015 | New York Daily News
  3. Phoenix teacher gets 25 years in prison for sex with preteen
    view source details | 5 Aug 2016 | AZ Central

Case information source details

  • Former Phoenix teacher sentenced to 25 years in prison
    Publisher: Daily Mail
    Date: 21 Apr 2015
    Archive.org
    Source type: Website
  • view all information sources
    Married elementary school teacher had sexual relations with 12-year-old student: cops
    Publisher: New York Daily News
    Date: 21 Apr 2015
    Archive.org
    Source type: Website

    A married Mormon elementary school teacher is being held without bond while accused of having a sexual relationship with his 12-year-old student.

    Kenne Worthen, a 27-year-old father of one, was arrested Friday at Phoenix’s Longview Elementary School for five felony charges after the child’s classmates alerted staff to their inappropriate behavior, authorities said.

    A following search of the sixth grader’s iPod revealed sexually-graphic conversations in her Google Hangouts app, according to court documents, obtained by CBS5

    Some of the messages, written under the pseudonym of Jesse Smith but later linked to Worthen, also expressed concern that the girl would tell his wife or the police about their relations.

    Worthen is a married father of one. In his first court appearance he was ordered held without bond.

    The girl initially denied having relations with Worthen when questioned by police but eventually confessed, claiming that he started flirting with her in August before sexually touching her on April 10, authorities said.

    The girl’s outraged father, speaking to KSAZ, said that’s when Worthen asked her mother if she could stay after school to “help with something.”

    “She said, ‘of course, sure, why not,’ the father recalled.

    Authorities say Worthen began a sexual relationship with his 12-year-old student after asking her to stay after to school. Conversations on the girl's iPod also revealed sexually-graphic messages.

    “There should have been no reason why my child was in a classroom alone with a teacher,” he said.

    He described the allegations now as “just sickening” and said it will take a long time for his daughter to heal.

    “You have this anger, the anger towards the perpetrator, and a feeling that you physically want to harm that person,” he told KSAZ. “Then there’s an anger at least for me towards the school, because you send your child there thinking they’re going to be safe.”

    In addition to expressing his desire to completely pummel Worthen, he expressed thanks to the classmates who alerted staff.

    Those children he called heroes.

  • view all information sources
    Phoenix teacher gets 25 years in prison for sex with preteen
    Publisher: AZ Central
    Date: 5 Aug 2016
    Archive.org
    Source type: Website

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