Ex-Mormon bishop given 4 months in sex abuse of teenage boy

This photo provided by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office shows Jeffrey Byron Head. The former bishop with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been sentenced to four months in jail after being found guilty of sexual abuse of one teenage boy and lewdness with another. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office via AP)

WEST JORDAN, Utah (AP) — A former bishop with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been sentenced to four months in jail after being found guilty of sexual abuse of one teenage boy and lewdness with another.

The Deseret News reports that during sentencing Wednesday in the Salt Lake City suburb of West Jordan, 54-year-old Jeffrey Byron Head apologized for the pain and suffering he caused and acknowledged he had a higher obligation as a church leader.

Prosecutors say Head touched the genitals of one teenage boy in 2016 and inappropriately discussed sex with another boy in 2017.

Church officials say they removed Head from his bishop position after allegations surfaced and notified police.

Head’s brother-in-law, former Utah House Speaker Greg Hughes, was among several people who sent letters of support for Head.

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4 Comments

  • Dee Len Petersen June 12, 2019 at 9:01 pm Reply

    Why is it that if its a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ that commits a crime, it’s always reported Mormon bishop, or Mormon Elder, or Mormon Sunday school teacher, etc., but if it’s some other denomination, that is never included. Why? Seems bias to me.

    • Patrick Redd June 14, 2019 at 10:00 am Reply

      Dee, in situations like these where a person is put into a position of trust and/or power over others and they use their position to abuse those in their care, then it is very common to report the organization (i.e. Catholic, BSA, LDS, etc.) as well as the position they held (i.e. Priest, Scout Master, Bishop, etc. So don’t let yourself think that your religion is being persecuted here. People in lay clergy positions need to be just as accountable as paid clergy. A person in a trusted position used their title to abuse those under their stewardship. Nobody is trying to chase you back to Missouri, or pick on your religion. The only bias I see in this case is that the sentencing is pretty light for a child molester BECAUSE he was an LDS bishop. Only 4 months in jail, not prison, for causing damage that can prevent a survivor from being able to have healthy sexual relationships in the future? That kind of precedent may serve to encourage other perpetrators instead of deter them. Don’t worry, Dee, there’s still enough cover-up going on in your church that we won’t often hear about people in leadership positions committing crimes like this.

    • Andrew Pollock July 6, 2019 at 8:13 pm Reply

      Why is it that some Mormons seem so intent on imagining they’re being persecuted?

  • B.T. Lynn June 13, 2019 at 10:30 am Reply

    I’d pose the question….why did he only receive four months?

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