Boy Scout leader pleads guilty to sex abuse

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jun 18, 2009 | by Sara Israelsen-Hartley Deseret News

OREM -- A Boy Scout leader charged with sexually molesting a member of his troop pleaded guilty to reduced charges Tuesday.

Gary Wade Brown, 42, accepted a plea deal in 4th District Court and admitted guilt to four counts of sex abuse of a child and one count of sexual exploitation, all second-degree felonies, and one count of lewdness, a class A misdemeanor -- offenses that will require Brown to register as a sex-offender.

Prosecutors had reduced the charges from first-degree felonies to second-degree felonies and dropped several other counts.

Brown was arrested in January after a boy came forward to report that, in 2005, he had been abused by Brown, who was his Scout leader in Orem at the time. The boy told police he had been at Brown's home when Brown began asking him sexually explicit questions, then touched the boy's genitals, according to a police affidavit. The boy said similar touching also happened in Brown's car.

When Orem police confronted Brown, he allegedly confessed to the incidents, according to the affidavit.

Brown will be sentenced July 28, and there is no agreement as to what the sentence will be, except that the state will not "actively seek" prison time, said prosecutor Julia Thomas. Both Thomas and defense attorney Shelden Carter said that, after being evaluated, Brown was considered a good candidate for treatment and therapy.

It's a tough situation for both families, who knew each other through their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ward, Carter said. Yet the boy's parents have been compassionate and kind.

"I've got to commend them," Carter said. "They're not mean or vicious people. It's pretty good to see."

The boy's parents have attended every hearing and have been invested in the case, Thomas said.

"At the same time, they didn't want to put their son through a trial," she said. "They very much wanted a resolution. At the same time, they wanted (Brown) to be accountable."

E-mail: sisraelsen@desnews.com