Former Utah City Mayor, Bishop Arrested On Child Sex Abuse Charges

A one-time Utah city mayor who also served as a bishop at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was arrested after at least three people accused him of sexually abusing them as children between the mid-80s and late 90s.

Carl Johnson, 77, was arrested in Orem on Wednesday and was charged with seven counts of aggravated abuse of a child, Salt Lake Tribune reported.

According to the outlet, the three alleged victims said that they were sexually abused as children between 1985 and 1996. One of them told police that she was between 5 and 8 years old in 1996 when Johnson lured her away from others into a room in his home and touched her body. She said Johnson told her to "stay quiet" about what happened.

Another alleged victim stated that Johnson inappropriately touched her in a shower when she was 5 years old in the mid-80s. A third said that she was a preteen in 1993 when Johnson allegedly laid in bed with her and touched her inappropriately.

According to investigators, Johnson acknowledged abusing the victims in 1985, 1993, and 1996 and stated that there were a total of six victims, one as young as 2 years old. Johnson told investigators that he struggled "controlling his sexual urges" most of his life, CTV News reported.

The alleged victims accused him of breaching his "position of trust" while carrying out the acts but a probable cause statement didn't reveal exactly what that was. Stephanie Dinsmore, the spokesperson for Davis County Sheriff's Office, also declined to explain it.

Some of the alleged abuse also happened during his 7-year stint (1990-97) as a mayor of the city of West Bountiful, which is located just outside Salt Lake City, the outlet reported.

Dinsmore revealed that Johnson was a bishop over a congregation of the faith known widely as the Mormon church between 1974-1979. Sam Penrod, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told CTV that the allegations were "serious and deeply troubling" and doesn't align with the faith.

Johnson was booked into the Davis County jail in northern Utah. The investigation is still ongoing and he has only been charged on the basis of the statements of the three alleged victims. It wasn't clear if he obtained an attorney.