Summary
David Scott Curtis was a Mormon church member and middle school counselor in St. George, Utah.
In Jan. 2025, Curtis pleaded guilty to nine felonies in five different cases, against five different victims.
In Mar. 2025, Curtis was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison.
Curtis was a school counselor at Charles A. Hughes Middle School. Previously he was a dean at Clark County School District in St. George, Utah.
Achieved Eagle Scout Rank in the Boy Scouts in 1986. Curtis interacted with the individuals primarily as a family friend and Scout leader in Washington County.
Facts
- Criminal: Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil: No civil case,
- Positions: Scout leader, Youth leader,
- During crime: Unknown position,
- When accused: Unknown position,
- Crime scenes: Perpetrator's home,
- Victims: 5 victims, Multiple victims,
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Born: 1969
- Mission: unknown
- Locations: Utah, Washington County (Utah),
Sources
- [information on criminal charges],
- Ex-school counselor, Scout leader admits sexually abusing 5 children over decades,
- Former counselor, scout leader enters pleas in St. George on multiple cases of child abuse,
- Former school counselor sentenced for decades of child sex abuse crimes in Washington County ,
-
1. [information on criminal charges]
CASE #1 CHARGES:
STATE OF UTAH vs. DAVID SCOTT CURTIS
CASE NUMBER 241502113 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: November 01, 2023
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty---
CASE #1 CHARGES:
CASE NUMBER 241501225 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-403(2) - FORCIBLE SODOMY - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: June 26, 2001
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 2 - 76-5-403(2) - FORCIBLE SODOMY - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: June 26, 2001
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 3 - 76-5-403(2) - FORCIBLE SODOMY - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: June 26, 2001
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 4 - 76-5-404(3)(A) - FORCIBLE SEXUAL ABUSE - 2nd Degree Felony
Offense Date: June 26, 2001
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)---
CASE #3 CHARGES:
CASE NUMBER 241500913 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 2 - 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 3 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 4 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 5 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 6 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 7 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 8 - 76-5-404(2)+(3A) - FORCIBLE SEXUAL ABUSE - 2nd Degree Felony
02-21-2025 12:44 PM Page 1 of 13
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 9 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 10 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 11 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 12 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: May 06, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)---
CASE #4 CHARGES:CASE NUMBER 241500819 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony(amended to) - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: January 01, 2019
Location: Washington County
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 2 - 76-5-402 - RAPE - 1st Degree Felony (amended to) - 1st DegreeFelony
Offense Date: January 01, 2019
Location: Washington County
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty---
CASE #5 CHARGES:CASE NUMBER 241500644 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-402 - RAPE - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: April 01, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: April 04, 2024 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 2 - 76-5-403 - FORCIBLE SODOMY - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: April 01, 2024
Location: WASHINGTON COUNTY
Attributes: Child.
Disposition: April 04, 2024 Dismissed (w/o prej)
---
CASE #6 CHARGES:CASE NUMBER 241500569 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 2 - 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 3 - 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 4 - 76-5-403.1 - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 5 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 6 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Plea: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Guilty
Charge 7 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 8 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 9 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
02-21-2025 12:45 PM Page 1 of 16
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 10 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 11 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 12 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej)
Charge 13 - 76-5-404.3 - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: September 25, 2023
Location: Washington County
Disposition: January 28, 2025 Dismissed (w/o prej) -
2. Ex-school counselor, Scout leader admits sexually abusing 5 children over decades
-
3. Former counselor, scout leader enters pleas in St. George on multiple cases of child abuse
-
4. Former school counselor sentenced for decades of child sex abuse crimes in Washington County
A former middle school counselor arrested for multiple aggravated sexual abuse cases filed in Washington County appeared this week for sentencing - where the judge said the defendant used his position of trust to hunt for his victims.
On Tuesday, David Scott Curtis, 55, appeared at the 5th District Court in St. George for a sentencing hearing after pleading guilty to nine first-degree felonies: six counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, two counts of forcible sodomy and one count of rape of a child.
Curtis originally faced 19 first-degree felony charges of sodomy and aggravated sexual abuse of a child in what would become five separate cases starting in March of last year following the defendant's arrest in Mesquite, Nevada.
As part of a global resolution, 12 first-degree charges were dismissed in exchange for the guilty pleas.
Curtis was extradited to Utah to face court proceedings in multiple cases involving crimes he reportedly committed over the course of decades while living in Washington County. Curtis was accused of engaging in this abuse while serving as Boy Scout leader, and numerous incidents are alleged to have occurred on his property.
In once cased [sic] filed in May 2024, Curtis sexually abused a child he was helping care for "hundreds of times," according to court documents, while another case opened two months earlier alleged that Curtis was sexually assaulting a child up util the day before his arrest at a middle school in March 2024, as previously reported by St. George News.
A summary of the cases can be found at this link.
Decades of abuse end in prison
During Tuesday's hearing, Prosecutor Lane Wood said the five cases comprised five victims and "decades" of abuse.
The state entered into the plea agreement that stipulated concurrent sentences, as opposed to consecutive sentences, partially due to the length of time that passed between when the molestations occurred and when the incidents were reported, Wood said.
“Oftentimes, these cases become more difficult — with fading memories and so on,” the prosecutor said, adding that this factor would have made it difficult to take the cases to trial and more difficult for the victims who would have to testify in court.
Wood said the state talked at length with each of the victims and their families and "thoroughly" discussed the proposed agreement.
Another reason for the global resolution is that Curtis is a suspect in a number of active investigations in other jurisdictions and out of state. Should the defendant be convicted in those cases, the prosecutor said, it would likely result in further prison time for Curtis.
While going over the presentence investigation report, Wood said Curtis' statements were “the most offensive defendant's statements I've ever seen."
Despited having pleaded guilty to the crimes, Curtis blames each of his victims, claiming he only allowed the abuse to happen.
In one of the cases, Wood said, Curtis denied sexually assaulting the child and told investigators he was in another state when it happened; yet he still pleaded guilty to the crime.
While the length of prison time is ultimately up to Board of Pardons and Parole, Wood said he hoped the presentence report would keep Curtis in prison “for the rest of his natural life.”
However, Curtis's defense attorney, Christopher Salcido, said he took issue with this report and the state's position.
He said his client has taken accountability for his actions. He added that Curtis pleading guilty eliminated the need for a preliminary hearing or trial.
Curtis “was mindful of the impact his actions have had" and wanted to avoid putting his victims through any further trauma, Salcido said.
While the presentence investigator wrote that Curtis failed to express any remorse or take responsibility for his actions, that was exactly what his client did — from the beginning — and more than once, Salcido added.
During his time to address the court, Curtis said, “I am ashamed of what I’ve done."
He asked the court to give him a chance at having a life outside of prison.
'It's disgusting'
Prior to his ruling, District Judge Ryan E. Christiansen said he was aware from reading a number of the victim impact statements that not all involved were in agreement with the sentence as outlined in the plea agreement.
The judge said he was convinced that the resolution the parties came to would spare the victims from having to relive what the defendant had done.
Nonetheless, the judge said, the presentence report contained the most “offensive statements” by the defendant, such as the first statement in which Curtis said it was the children who were the aggressors, and it had been the children who had put him in each “awkward” situations.
“It’s not only not credible - it’s disgusting,” Christiansen said.
Reading from victim impact statements received by the court, the judge noted one that described Curtis as “a devil walking among us.”
"A phrase that came to my mind was a wolf in sheep’s clothing because a wolf is a predator,” the judge said. "A wolf preys on the community that it finds itself in, and Curtis has preyed on this community."
The judge described Curtis as a scoutmaster, a counselor and a father figure to many of these children — positions he said Curtis used as a way to hunt for his victims.
“And that's what we have here — someone in a position of trust who did unspeakable things to children,” the judge said.
These victims, the judge said, did absolutely nothing to deserve the kind of abuse inflicted upon them by anybody, let alone by someone they trusted.
With that, the judge sentenced Curtis to serve 15 years to life on each of the seven first-degree felony charges and five years to life in prison on the two remaining charges. He also ordered concurrent sentencing between the cases.
Christiansen closed by ordering that Curtis “be sent to the state prison to begin serving his sentence immediately.”
Documents
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Criminal case documents
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