Convicted:
2011, 
Positions: Bishop, - During alleged crime: Bishop,
- Mission:
unknown
Alleged:
1, 
Alleged crime scenes:
Fitness Center, Gym, Hill Air Force Base’s Hess Fitness Center, Locker Room, 
Criminal case(s): Pleaded guilty; Plea agreement; Convicted; Sentenced to probation, 
Alleged church actions: unknown, 
updated Nov 5, 2026 - request update | add info
Alleged crime city:
Alleged crime county:
Alleged crime state:
Douglas Hammond was a Mormon bishop, a Syracuse, Utah city councilman and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
Hammond was described by his attorney in 2010 as a respected LDS bishop at the time.
On December 10, 2009, entered the steam room at Hill Air Force Base’s Hess Fitness Center naked, sat next to a young man wearing a towel and reached under the towel to touch his genitals, according to his own plea statement; the victim left immediately and reported it to base police, who cited Hammond.
The citation was dismissed without prejudice at the government’s request; Hammond publicly denied wrongdoing and called the accusation a political vendetta.
Hammond resigned from the city council in November, citing his wife’s cancer diagnosis.
Douglas Hammond was charged in federal court in March 2011 with misdemeanor sexual battery.
Hammond pleaded guilty in March 2011 under a plea agreement and was sentenced in June 2011 to 24 months of probation, including six months of home confinement; at sentencing, the judge noted another incident in Hammond’s past and told him to seek counseling.
If you have any information about Hammond’s LDS membership history please contact us.
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Sources
- Ex-Syracuse councilman receives probation for steam room incident,
- Former Syracuse city councilman charged with sexual battery,
- Ex-Syracuse councilman receives probation for sexual battery in steam room,
- Former Syracuse councilman admits to sexual battery,
- Ex-Syracuse councilman admits to fondling man,
-
1. Ex-Syracuse councilman receives probation for steam room incident
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Syracuse city councilman and military officer will not go to prison for inappropriately touching another man in a steam room.
"I just feel bad for the victim, extremely bad. I'm sure this has been very hard for him."
–Douglas J. HammondDouglas J. Hammond will serve 24 months probation, including six months of home confinement. U.S. District Judge Paul M. Warner issued the sentence Thursday. Hammond earlier pleaded guilty to one count of sexual battery.
Hammond, 68, said the incident left him feeling foolish and humble.
"I just feel bad for the victim, extremely bad," he said. "I'm sure this has been very hard for him."
Hammond, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, went to the Hill Air Force Base gym on Dec. 10, 2009, to exercise and use the steam room. The steam room requires patrons to wear swim trunks, shorts or a towel. Hammond admitted to entering the room naked and sitting down next to a young man wearing a towel.
After a moment, Hammond reached under the towel and touched the man.
Prosecutor Carlos Esqueda said although the crime was serious, probation was the correct punishment.
Noting another incident in Hammond's past, Warner admonished him to seek counseling. "I think you've got some issues and you need to deal with them in an appropriate and professional way," he said.
Hammond said the incident also has been difficult for his wife who is wheelchair-bound and fighting breast cancer. Though Hammond is confined to home for the first six months of the sentence, the judge will allow him to leave as necessary to care for his wife.
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2. Former Syracuse city councilman charged with sexual battery
Court • Retired Air Force officer molested victim at fitness center, documents claim.
A former Syracuse city councilman and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel has been charged in U.S. District Court with misdemeanor sexual battery for allegedly fondling a victim on Hill Air Force Base in 2009.
Douglas J. Hammond, 68, of Syracuse, is accused of touching "beneath the clothing (and) the genitals of another against his will," according to court documents filed in Salt Lake City's federal court late Monday.
The documents don't offer specific details, other than to say Hammond should have known his actions would "likely cause affront and alarm to the person touched."
Melodie Rydalch, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office, said she can't comment on the case or provide additional details outside of what is stated in court documents.
Hammond and his attorney, David Irvine, did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment Tuesday afternoon.
The charges against Hammond follow a Dec. 16, 2009, citation issued by a Hill Air Force Base police officer. That citation, posted on the The Standard-Examiner newspaper's website, accuses Hammond of sexually abusing a victim at a fitness center on base. U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Warner later dismissed the citation without prejudice at the request of the government.
Hammond has denied any wrongdoing in previous interviews with other media outlets.
In a February 2010 interview with The Standard-Examiner, Hammond said he didn't know who initiated the complaint against him and suggested it was done as an act of political retaliation.
"I don't know why anyone would make allegations against me, because I have done nothing wrong or unlawful. From what I can ascertain, this seems to be a mean-spirited political vendetta by someone who wishes to damage my reputation," Hammond told the newspaper.
Irvine told The Standard that Hammondat the time was a respected LDS bishop and implored prosecutors to not pursue future charges against his client because of questionable facts in the case. The ticket Hammond was issued was unsigned by the officer who wrote up the complaint and contained few details about the episode Hammond allegedly engaged in.
"If there was anything behind the citation, the prosecutor would not have dismissed it," Irvine told the newspaper.
Following the dismissal of the citation, the U.S. Attorney's Office reviewed the case and filed the misdemeanor charge against Hammond.
The sexual battery charge is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in federal prison and a $2,500 fine. Hammond was elected to the Syracuse City Council in January 2008. He resigned in November, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
-
3. Ex-Syracuse councilman receives probation for sexual battery in steam room
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Syracuse city councilman and military officer will not go to prison for inappropriately touching another man in a steam room.
Douglas J. Hammond will serve 24 months probation, including six months of home confinement. U.S. District Judge Paul M. Warner issued the sentence Thursday. Hammond earlier pleaded guilty to one count of sexual battery.
Hammond, 68, said the incident left him feeling foolish and humble
"I just feel bad for the victim, extremely bad," he said. "I'm sure this has been very hard for him."
Hammond, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, went to the Hill Air Force Base gym on Dec. 10, 2009, to exercise and use the steam room. The steam room requires patrons to wear swim trunks, shorts or a towel. Hammond admitted to entering the room naked and sitting down next to a young man wearing a towel.
After a moment, Hammond reached under the towel and touched the man.
View CommentsNoting another incident in Hammond's past, Warner admonished him to seek counseling. "I think you've got some issues and you need to deal with them in an appropriate and professional way," he said.
Hammond said the incident also has been difficult for his wife who is wheelchair-bound and fighting breast cancer. Though Hammond is confined to home for the first six months of the sentence, the judge will allow him to leave as necessary to care for his wife.
-
4. Former Syracuse councilman admits to sexual battery
SALT LAKE CITY — A former Syracuse city councilman admitted in federal court that he inappropriately touched another man at a Hill Air Base Force gym.
Douglas J. Hammond, 68, pleaded guilty to one count of sexual battery Monday in U.S. District Court. The offense is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $2,500 fine.
Hammond, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, went to the base's Hess Fitness Center on Dec. 10, 2009, to exercise and use the steam room. The steam room requires patrons to wear swim trunks, shorts or a towel. Hammond admitted to, according to his plea agreement, entering the room naked and sitting down next to a young man wearing a towel.
After a moment, Hammond reached under the towel and touched the man's genitals.
"The young man immediately got up and left the steam room. I acknowledge that the conduct would cause affront or alarm and that my conduct was against his will," according to Hammond's statement.
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5. Ex-Syracuse councilman admits to fondling man
Federal court • Retired Air Force lieutenant colonel faces up to a year in prison.
A former Syracuse city councilman and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel has admitted in federal court to fondling another man in a Hill Air Force base steam room two years ago.
Douglas J. Hammond, 68, of Syracuse, was charged in U.S. District Court with misdemeanor sexual battery, which is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of $2,500. While Hammond initially denied the allegations against him, on Monday he pleaded guilty to the charge before Magistrate Judge Paul Warner. According to a statement filed in advance of Hammond's guilty plea, he said he entered a steam room at the base's Hess Fitness Center on Dec. 10, 2009 and sexually touched another man in the room.
The steam room requires those using the facility to wear a swimming suit, gym shorts or a towel, but Hammond went into the room nude and sat down next to a young man wearing a towel. He proceeded to touch the man's penis under the towel and the victim immediately left the room, according to the statement.
"I acknowledge that the young man was alarmed by my conduct and that I knew or should have known that my conduct would cause affront or alarm and that my conduct was against his will," the statement Hammond signed reads.
Hammond's victim contacted Hill Air Force Base police, and an officer issued a citation to Hammond. That citation, which accused Hammond of sexually abusing the man, was later dismissed without prejudice by Warner at the request of the government.
The Salt Lake Tribunedoes not name victims of sexual crimes and is not naming the victim in this story.
Hammond denied any wrongdoing in previous interviews with other media outlets after the citation.
In a February 2010 interview with The Standard-Examiner, Hammond said he didn't know who initiated the complaint against him and suggested it was done as an act of political retaliation.
"I don't know why anyone would make allegations against me, because I have done nothing wrong or unlawful. From what I can ascertain, this seems to be a mean-spirited political vendetta by someone who wishes to damage my reputation," Hammond told the newspaper.
David Irvine, Hammond's attorney, told The Standard that Hammond at the time was a respected LDS bishop and implored prosecutors to not pursue future charges against his client because of questionable facts in the case. The ticket Hammond was issued was unsigned by the officer who wrote up the complaint and contained few details about the episode Hammond allegedly engaged in.
Following the dismissal of the citation, the U.S. Attorney's Office reviewed the case and filed the misdemeanor charge against Hammond.
Hammond was elected to the Syracuse City Council in January 2008. He resigned in November, stating that he wanted to spend more time with his wife, who has been diagnosed with cancer. He will be sentenced on June 9 before Warner.
Documents
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