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Summarized by Kent Larsen
Plea Entered in Case That Led to Prosecution of LDS Clergy
LOGAN, UTAH -- The man whose child abuse crimes led to the current
prosecution of LDS Clergy for failing to report child abuse has plead guilty
to four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The charges filed
against Jay Toombs, 43, carry a mandatory prison sentence and a maximum of
life in prison for each charge.
Cache county, Utah prosecutor Scott Wyatt is pleased with the outcome.
"These young victims don't have to testify," he said. "It's nice not to have
to put them through it. It's harder for a boy to testify of being sexually
abused by a man, harder than we would expect."
Present for the hearing Tuesday, at which the plea bargain was entered, were
alleged victims from as much as 20 years ago. "One [of those attending] was
the parent of a victim who was victimized 20 years ago," said Wyatt. He
added that Toombs is a suspect in the abuse of a "large number of victims
over a range that exceeds 20 years."
The current charges cover crimes committed in the early 1990s, when the
victims were aged 7 to 11. When the charges came to light last February,
prosecutors considered filing failure to report charges against the three
LDS clergy involved, one of whom was a relative of Toombs. However, the
prosecutors dropped their investigation after realizing that the statute of
limitations on the failure to report had expired.
Since that time, prosecutors in Utah have filed failure to report charges
against three other LDS bishops, two of whom are currently fighting the
charges, claiming that they were not obligated to report and challenging the
constitutionality of the statute.
Source:
Child Molester Guilty of Felony Via Plea Bargain
Salt Lake Tribune 16Aug00 D2
By Shawn Foster: Salt Lake Tribune
See also:
Police Investigating LDS Bishops for Failing to Report Abuse
3 LDS Bishops Can't Be Charged For Failing To Report Sex Abuse
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