Mormon Church Official Charged with Sexual Abuse Allegations After AP Investigation Leads to Arrest

In a significant development nearly a quarter-century after allegations first surfaced, John Goodrich, a former bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has been arrested in Virginia. Goodrich, who was also a dentist in Idaho, faces multiple felony charges, including forcible rape, forcible sodomy, and aggravated sexual battery by a parent of a child. This arrest follows a grand jury indictment that came to light shortly after an investigative report by the Associated Press and Reveal highlighted how the Mormon church had historically shielded Goodrich from these serious allegations.

The allegations against Goodrich date back to 1999, when he allegedly began sexually abusing his teenage daughter, Chelsea, during a school field trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. Chelsea later claimed that the abuse had started when she was at least nine years old. In 2016, Chelsea and her mother, Lorraine, reported these allegations to Idaho police, but the case was eventually dropped after a key witness, another Mormon bishop who was privy to a spiritual confession made by Goodrich, refused to testify. Despite the lack of public details from this confession, the church took the step of excommunicating Goodrich.

The AP/Reveal investigation, which aired in December, shed light on the church’s handling of the case, particularly through hours of audio recordings of meetings between Chelsea Goodrich and Paul Rytting, the director of the church’s risk management division. These recordings revealed Rytting’s efforts to manage the situation by invoking Idaho’s clergy-penitent privilege, which protected the confidentiality of spiritual confessions, thereby discouraging testimony against Goodrich.

Moreover, Rytting’s approach included offering Chelsea and her mother a settlement of $300,000 in exchange for their silence and the destruction of their recordings. This strategy was part of a broader risk management playbook employed by the church, as evidenced by similar recordings made by a church member who attended the meetings as Chelsea’s advocate.

This case underscores the importance of accountability and justice within religious institutions, echoing the biblical call to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). As the legal proceedings continue, the focus remains on ensuring that justice is served while protecting the dignity and rights of all involved.

Source: Read the original report