Shawn Tyler Mortensen

Case report

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Shawn Mortensen was a BYU graduate (1988-1992). He was married in an LDS temple.

From 2001 to 2007, Mortensen was bishop of the Academy Heights LDS ward in New Mexico.

He also served as a counselor in a New Mexico stake presidency.

In January 2021, Mortensen was living in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

One day in January 2021, Mortensen touched an 11-year-old girl in a sexual manner. A woman caught him in the act. He lied, telling her it was the first time it had happened.

On February 4, 2021, the woman told another woman about the incident. The next day, that woman confronted Mortensen and told him he needed to report himself to police or she would.

On February 5, 2021, Albuquerque police met with Mortensen, the woman who had caught him, and the victim.

Mortensen told police “he knew it was wrong and did not believe what he did was criminal.” He said he was “tickling” the victim and it went “too far.” He said it was “a moment of weakness.”

Mortensen said sometimes when the victim was asleep he would touch her inappropriately.

Mortensen said he touched the victim twice on two different occasions.

The victim told police that Mortensen had touched her private parts under her clothing more than 15 times. She said that during these incidents, she would be awake but pretending to be asleep, and that Shawn never said anything to her, but she could only hear him breathing.

Mortensen was charged with six felony counts relating to criminal sexual penetration (two counts) and criminal sexual contact (four counts) of a minor.

In September 2022, Mortensen was sentenced to prison in New Mexico for sexually abusing the 11-year-old girl.

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