Former scout leader now charged with over 80 counts of child sex abuse

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) — A former scout leader has now been charged with over 80 felony counts of child sexual abuse, after being arrested late last week.

Charles Sheldon Bates, 61, after being arrested late last week for 42 charges related to child sex abuse, has now been charged with 84 separate felony counts, according to the Salt Lake County Attorney and the Unified Police Department. According to law enforcement, the alleged abuses occurred over a 36-year period, with the earliest occurring in 1986 and the most recent in 2022.

Among Bates’ 84 felony counts include:

• 6 counts of first-degree felony sodomy upon a child
• 1 count of first-degree felony attempted sodomy upon a child
• 25 counts of first-degree felony forcible sodomy
• 4 counts of first-degree felony attempted forcible sodomy
• 4 counts of first-degree felony object rape
• 6 counts of first-degree felony aggravated sexual abuse of a child
• 30 counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor
• 5 counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse
• 1 count of third-degree felony retaliation against a victim
• 1 count of third-degree felony aggravated kidnapping in the course of committing unlawful detention
• 1 count of class A misdemeanor stalking

Court documents detail several accounts across several alleged victims of Bates. Detailing where Bates allegedly used his position as Scout Leader, and other positions of trust to lure young boys to “take photos” for him and engage in abusive behavior with minors as young as six years old.

According to the documents, Bates allegedly told victims that the abuse was “normal” and “not to tell anyone” because he would get in trouble and so would they.

In 2022, police responded to Bates’ home and seized several electronic devices that belonged to Bates. Police allegedly found 134 images of child sex abuse material, including two separate disks that were labeled with the initials of separate alleged victims that contained pictures that Bates had allegedly took of them.

“The victims, in this case, experienced a magnitude of abuse at the hands of the defendant,” the statement of probable cause reads. “While the State is filing charges related to events that occurred over the last 36-plus years, it believes it’s essential to recognize that the defendant forced each of these victims to engage in sexual activity each time they were together, resulting in well over 51 sexual assaults, as filed in this case. The defendant, using coercion tactics and grooming, forced each victim to engage in sexual activity with him, and the number of charges filed does not diminish the abuse that these victims had to endure.”

Sim Gill, District Attorney for Salt Lake County, said in a statement to ABC4.com that he hoped that the actions taken by his office gave victims comfort, and that the community was working to provide them the resources they needed for recovery.

“We hope that the filing of these charges help the victim-survivors see that their community is working together to bring them justice,” Gill said. “This office will provide the resources necessary through our Survivor and Victim Services division to help these victim-survivors heal from their traumatic experiences.”

The case is still in its early stages and is scheduled to have Bates appear for an initial appearance on April 29. Bates currently resides in the Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held on a no bail warrant.