A former church leader accused of sexual abuse against a minor has been charged in 8th District Court. On September 16th, 63-year-old James Douglas Robinson was charged with 2nd Degree Felony Forcible Sexual Abuse for an alleged incident that took place in June in Duchesne County. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, the alleged incident occurred at a Girl’s Camp in Hanna. The 15-year-old female victim told investigators she was alone in the kitchen area when Robinson, who was serving as the Bishop at that time, came up behind her, pinning her to the kitchen counter and touched her inappropriately over her clothing. After a few minutes, she says she was able to turn around and face him and he backed up and left the area. A spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints shared in a statement that the “church reported these allegations to law enforcement as soon as they were brought to the attention of local leaders and the individual was immediately released from his leadership position.” The report from the Duchesne County Sheriff’s detective stated that Robinson has moved to Idaho. An arrest warrant was submitted to the court but it was determined that there was not sufficient information to support the issuance of a warrant and instead Robinson is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on October 26th.
