Former Latter-day Saint Bishop Facing Child Porn Charges Held Without Bail

KAYSVILLE, Utah – A man who identified himself as a bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is being held without bail after investigators allegedly found him in possession of child pornography.

Authorities said he may have also sexually abused children.

According to a probable cause statement, Timothy James Hallows, 61, was arrested Oct. 16 on eight counts of suspicion of enticing a minor by internet or text. An investigation began Aug. 6 when authorities received a tip that a user, who they identified as Hallows, had uploaded child exploitation material to Skype.

Three additional cyber tips were generated in early October that connected to Hallows, according to the report.

Arresting documents state Hallows admitted to distributing child sexual abuse material during online communications using Skype. He also reportedly admitted to owning unknown amounts of images of child sexual abuse and “estimated the numbers over 100.”

Investigators wrote that Hallows admitted to taking pictures of children during camping trips while “acting his role as bishop for the LDS church,” according to the statement.

A spokesman for the Church released a statement in response to the arrest:

“The allegations against this individual are serious and deeply troubling. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has no tolerance for abuse of any kind, including child pornography, and teaches its members and leaders that such behavior is offensive to God and to His Church. When local leaders learned of these allegations, this individual was immediately removed from any position that would place him in close contact with youth or children. This is done to ensure the safety of others and to allow this individual to address these serious allegations.”

Hallows faces multiple second-degree felonies, and a judge on Thursday granted a request to hold him without bail.