Neighbor charged with sexual abuse after allegedly luring 6-year-old into home with candy

WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) — A man who claims he was a former bishop and stake president has been charged after a 6-year-old reported that he offered her candy, invited her into his home, and sexually abused her.

Ronald Charles Jones, 88, has been charged with one count of child kidnapping, three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, one count of unlawful kissing of a child, and one count of lewdness involving a child. He allegedly told police that he had served as a bishop and stake president in the past.

According to court documents, police were contacted after a 6-year-old was reportedly sexually assaulted by a neighbor she knew as “Brother Jones.” The child told police that he “wanted her to keep secrets” and often gave her candy as an incentive to not tell anyone what had happened.

On July 9, 2025, the child was playing at a friend’s house nearby, according to her mother. The child left her friend’s house and was riding her bike home when Jones allegedly offered her candy and brought her into his residence. The 6-year-old said that he brought her into the basement and tried to touch her.

While being prevented from leaving, Jones allegedly sexually assaulted the child, forcibly kissed her, and exposed himself to her. The 6-year-old told police that it was uncomfortable and that she thought it was weird and gross. At one point, he allegedly asked the child to be his girlfriend, and she refused, saying she found it inappropriate and “confusing” because she was only six.

The 6-year-old managed to escape, according to documents, and ran up the stairs and out of the house, fleeing home on her bicycle. Her mother reported that the 6-year-old told her that she had been forcibly kissed and touched a few days later, at which point she contacted police.

After police made contact, Jones allegedly admitted that he often “hands candy out to children” in the neighborhood, and that they visit his house frequently. He also claimed that he had held “several high positions” within the local church, including being a bishop, stake president, and temple sealer previously, and currently served as the “master gardener.”

He was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he is currently being held on a no-bail warrant. Jones has previously pleaded guilty and been fined for sexual solicitation in Salt Lake County in 1990.