CENTERVILLE С A 43-year-old Centerville man was arrested on charges of sex abuse of a child last week. He allegedly molested two girls in 2011.
Timothy William Bothell was booked into the Davis County Jail on two first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and four class A misdemeanor charges of lewdness involving a child, according to Centerville Assistant Police Chief Paul Child.
Bothell was serving on a local stake high council of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the time of his arrest and was employed by the LDS Church.
He was allegedly confronted by his wife and reportedly admitted to committing inappropriate sexual contact with at least one of the victims, Child said. The girls, who are friends of the family, were 11 and 13 at the time of the alleged abuse.
Bothell contacted state Child Protective Services himself, which then contacted police. The victims were interviewed at the Children’s Justice Center in Farmington and Bothell was interviewed on Aug.13 and allegedly admitted to the charges, Child said.
Bothell allegedly touched the 13-year-old girl’s genitals as she slept at his home, according to a Centerville City Police press release. It happened sometime around Christmas of 2011.
Other incidents occurred, and both girls told police Bothell exposed his genitals to them on several occasions. One of the girls told police she had seen him naked approximately 12 times. Child said Bothell admitted to accidentally exposing himself to the girls eight times.
The aggravated charges are alleged because Bothell holds a position of trust in relationship to the victims, Child said.
Scott Trotter, a spokesman for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, confirmed Bothell had been employed by the church, but is no longer an employee. “Neither his current or former church positions play any part in this case,” Trotter said.
He went on to say the church has zero tolerance for abuse of any kind.
“Those found guilty of these actions are subject to the demands of the law and also face church discipline,” he said.
“The welfare of victims is our utmost concern and church leaders will continue to offer counseling and other resources to help in the healing process.”
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