Crime Decade: 1960s

30 LDS sex abuse cases found

1960s

Crime decade: 1960s

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- Michael Adamson (1945 – ) was a Mormon church caretaker and organist in York, England; allegedly abused at least four children as young as seven years old between 1966 and 1982; sentenced to prison in England in 2008 for child sexual abuse
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted: 2008,
- Positions: ever-church-building-supervisor, ever-organist, Other leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Pleaded guilty,
- View report »
- Larren Arnold (1935 – 2017) was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Idaho; in 1984, arrested for lewd conduct with a minor under 16; convicted, received a five-year suspended sentence and three years probation; Mormon leaders allegedly knew as early as 1964 about Arnold's abuse; the Mormon church made a $50,000 settlement payment to a victim in 2001, and a payment to another victim in 2012; died in 2017
- Alleged failure to report
- Church paid $50,000
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Probation,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Unknown result,
- View report »
- Wyman Blankenship was a Mormon church member; scout leader, pleaded guilty to molesting boys
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Parole, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Released,
- View report »
- Dennis Collins was an LDS church member in Washington; pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- View report »
- Clark Crookston (1949 – ) was a former Mormon bishop, dentist and college professor in Orem, Utah; accused of nearly 60 years of sex abuse of multiple children; pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated child sexual abuse; sentenced in 2022 to up to 35 years in prison
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted: 2022,
- Positions: Bishop, High priest, Missionary, Stake high council,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- View report »
- Luke Dalton (1941 – ) was a Mormon church member; admitted to sexually abusing dozens of boys over decades in Ohio, Montana and Utah; arrested in 1997 in Utah for sexually abusing his only son; convicted and sentenced to prison; served 3.5 years in prison
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- View report »
- James Denos (1929 – 2017) was a former LDS bishop and junior high school teacher in Utah; previously lived and served as a Mormon bishop in 1970 in Westminster, Orange County, California; sentenced in 2002 to a minimum of 20 years in a Utah state prison for sexually abusing four minor girls living in Utah; allegedly began molesting kids as early as 1950
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted: 2002,
- Positions: Bishop, Missionary, Stake high council, Temple worker, Ward clerk,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- View report »
- Richard Donelson was a Mormon church member and junior high school teacher in Utah; accused of taking a 14-year-old girl to New York City and sexually assaulting her; pleaded guilty in 1962 to a charge of "having carnal knowledge of" the girl
- Convicted: 1962,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty,
- View report »
- Edwin Dyer (1935 – 1986) was a Mormon church member and scoutmaster in central Oregon; accused of sexual abuse; allegedly molested as many as 15 boys over a 28-year period; convicted in 1985 of two misdemeanors related to sexual abuse; shot and killed in 1986 by one of his victims; the Mormon church settled out of court for $200,000 with one victim
- Alleged failure to report
- Church paid $200,000
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Alleged church actions: Disfellowshipped, Excommunicated,
- View report »
- Alfred Forrester (1936 – 2013) was a Mormon church member in California; excommunicated in the 1950s after conviction for child molestation; moved to Iowa, reoffended, incarcerated; returned to California, convicted once or twice more, then assigned to be a Mormon church scoutmaster; abused again, caught, sentenced to prison in 1979; a 2024 lawsuit against the LDS church alleged that a bishop failed to protect kids
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted: 1956, 1960, 1966, 1979,
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation, Registered sex offender, Released,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after conviction, Excommunicated,
- View report »
- Samuel Gardner (1932 – 1968) was an LDS bishop in the Oklahoma City First Ward in the early 1960s; accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy in the bishop's office at a Mormon chapel in about 1961; died in 1968
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishop, Stake high council,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- View report »
- William Harding (1940 – ) was a Mormon branch president, elders quorum president and ward clerk in Tasmania and Queensland, Australia; charged in or before 2023 with multiple counts of sexual assault of a minor in two states in Australia; allegedly had as many as 40 victims; in 2024, pleaded guilty to reduced charges and was sentenced to 9 months in jail in Brisbane; in 2025, faced new charges in Tasmania
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Branch president, Ward clerk,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Ongoing, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Church position after conviction, Excommunicated, Rebaptized, Released from church position, Ward official accused of failure to report,
- View report »
- James Hogan (1937 – ) was a Mormon scout leader in California and Oregon; in 1989, was sentenced to five years in prison for child sexual abuse; in 1989, two teenagers sued the church and Hogan (settled 1990); in 2002, two men sued the church and the BSA (church settled for $800,000 and $75,000); in 2011, a man sued the BSA for $5.2 million (he previously settled with the church); in all, 12 alleged victims 1967-1989
- Alleged failure to report
- Church paid $875,000
- Convicted: 1989,
- Positions: Church employee, Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Released,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement,
- Alleged church actions: Excommunicated,
- View report »
- Joel Houck was an LDS church member in California; accused in the 1960s of sexual abuse; convicted of vagrancy in 1966 and served 10 days in jail; in 1967, placed in the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) "perversion files"
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Jail, Unknown result,
- View report »
- Melvin Johnson (1936 – ) was a Mormon seminary teacher and Brigham Young University (BYU) religion professor; accused by multiple victims of sexually abusing them when they were children; excommunicated and rebaptized; reportedly confessed to sexual abuse, but was not criminally charged; two victims filed lawsuits against him; one named the Mormon church as a defendant; it settled out of court
- Alleged failure to report
- Church paid $unknown
- Positions: BYU, Church employee, Other leader, Seminary teacher, Stake high council,
- Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Unknown result,
- Alleged church actions: Church officials accused of failure to warn ward members, Excommunicated, Officials allegedly gave the accused a church duty after admission of wrongdoing, Rebaptized, Ward official accused of failure to report,
- View report »
- Franklin Mathias (1934 – ) was a Mormon church member and Boy scout leader in La Grande, Oregon; had a career as a schoolteacher; accused in 1987 of sexual abuse; sentenced in 1988 to four years in prison for molesting a child; he said that he had 242 victims over a 30-year period; convicted in 1997 of failure to register as a sex offender and was placed on probation for 24 months
- Convicted: 1988,
- Positions: High priest, Scout leader, Stake high council, Sunday school,
- Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Prison, Probation,
- Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
- F N was an LDS bishop in California; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishop,
- Criminal case(s): Unknown result,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- View report »
- Arvid Oakley (1943 – ) was a Mormon church member in Springville, Utah; accused of sexually abusing several girls who were between 4 and 6 years old; one alleged instance of abuse took place during his LDS mission to Uruguay in 1963; convicted of child sexual abuse in 1998; as of April 2026, is in prison in Utah
- Convicted: 1998,
- Positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
- Carl Pratt (1930 – 2006) was a Mormon bishop in San Manuel, Arizona; allegedly sexually abused a boy in his ward, in the bishop's office at an LDS chapel; the victim provided documents to Floodlit in 2023 detailing the abuse allegations; excommunicated in 1993, per victim; apparently rebaptized in 1990s; worked for seven years in Provo Utah Temple, per obit; died in 2006
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishop, High priest, Other leader, Scout leader, Stake high council, Stake presidency counselor, Temple worker,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Alleged church actions: Church position after excommunication, Excommunicated, Rebaptized,
- View report »
- Grayson Redd was a Mormon church member and former sheriff's deputy in Monticello, Utah; accused in 2024 of sexual abuse; died by suicide in July 2024, days after posting bail; alleged abuse dated back to 1967
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Not convicted, Police investigation, Suicide,
- View report »
- Vernon Sanford Jr (1951 – ) was an LDS church member in San Diego, California; died in 2000; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse, along with his father, Vernon Sanford Sr; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church; the alleged abuse occurred between 1961 and 1970; the Sanfords were the plaintiff's LDS home teachers
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- Alleged church actions: Unknown church action,
- View report »
- Vernon Sanford Sr was an LDS church member in San Diego, California; died in 2000; in 2024, accused in a civil lawsuit of child sexual abuse, along with his son, Vernon Sanford Jr; the suit was one of 91 or more coordinated civil suits filed in California in 2024 against the Mormon church; the alleged abuse occurred between 1961 and 1970; the Sanfords were the plaintiff's LDS home teachers
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Other leader,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Ongoing,
- View report »
- William Schubeck was a Mormon church member in California; accused of sexual abuse
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Unknown result,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church,
- View report »
- Orin Searle (1926 – 2014) was an LDS church member in Ogden, Utah; accused of sexual abuse in 2013 but was deemed incompetent to stand trial; a victim said that Searle's predatory behavior began as early as the late 1950s, and that several family members, and multiple members of the LDS 44th Ward (Mount Ogden Stake), knew that Searle was a child molester but did nothing to stop him; died in 2014
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Elders quorum president/counselor, High priest, Other leader, Temple worker,
- Criminal case(s): Case dismissed due to incompetence, Not convicted,
- View report »
- Charles Shield (1942 – ) was an LDS ward executive secretary in England and Scotland; accused of sexual abuse; convicted; sentenced in 2017 to six years in prison
- Alleged failure to report
- Convicted: 2017,
- Positions: Ward executive secretary,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Prison,
- View report »
- William Shubeck was a Mormon church member in San Bernardino, California; accused in 2003 of sexual abuse in a civil lawsuit against the LDS church
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Unknown position,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- View report »
- George Tilson (1942 – 2020) was a Mormon church member in the Salt Lake City, Utah area (including Holladay); pleaded guilty to child sexual abuse in the 1990s; alleged coverup by Mormon leaders
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: High priest, Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Unknown result,
- View report »
- Robert White was a Mormon missionary in South Dakota in the late 1960s; in 2008, a civil lawsuit filed against the Mormon church said he sexually abused a boy while on his mission
- Alleged failure to report
- Church paid $unknown
- Positions: Missionary,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- Civil case(s): Lawsuit v. LDS church, Settlement, Unknown result,
- View report »
- Emmett White was a Mormon church member and scout leader in Florida; was caught in 1966 by local police soliciting an adult sex worker (prostitute); denied any inappropriate behavior around scouts
- Positions: Scout leader,
- Criminal case(s): Never charged, Not convicted,
- View report »
- LaVar Withers (1936 – 2005) was a Mormon and physician in Rexburg, Idaho; accused of sexually abusing at least 133 women and children as young as 13 years old over a period of 30 or more years; admitted to sexual abuse; in 1996, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery; sentenced to 30 to 60 days in jail and two years probation; the Mormon church placed him on probation and took his temple recommend; died in 2005
- Alleged failure to report
- Positions: Bishopric counselor, Stake high council,
- Criminal case(s): Admitted guilt, Convicted, Jail, Plea deal, Pleaded guilty, Probation,
- View report »

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