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Summarized by Kent Larsen
LDS Bishop Charged with Failing to Report Abuse
Salt Lake Tribune 8Jul00 D2
By Kevin Cantera: Salt Lake Tribune
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH -- Another LDS Bishop has been charged with failing to
report an incident of child sexual abuse. On Friday, Salt Lake City
prosecutors charged LDS Bishop Bruce R. Christensen, 60, of the Salt Lake
City 21st Ward with a class B misdemeanor after learning that Christensen
had been told of a case of child abuse by the victim's mother and failed to
report it. The mother told Christensen in a July 1999 interview that her
estranged husband had sexually abused their 13-month-old daughter.
"We were unaware Bishop Christensen had been charged in this case . . .
Because it is now before the courts, we cannot comment on details," said LDS
Church spokesman Dale Bills in a statement released to the press. "Local
church leaders are trained to comply with all reporting requirements." Under
Utah law, clergy are exempt from reporting abuse only if their sole source
of information about the abuse is the perpetrator. If convicted, Christensen
faces up to 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The filing of charges against Christensen is the second reported arrest this
year of an LDS Bishop and third reported investigation of an LDS local
leader's failure to report child abuse. In May, LDS Bishop David W. Maxwell
of Sandy was charged with failure to report in a case involving a
15-year-old girl who was reportedly abused by another minor in his ward. And
in March, prosecutors in Logan, Utah decided they couldn't prosecute three
LDS Bishops for failure to report because the statue of Limitations had
expired.
See also:
LDS Bishop Arrested For Failure To Report Abuse
LDS Bishop Gets Fine, No Jail
3 LDS Bishops Can't Be Charged For Failing To Report Sex Abuse
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