Former UHP trooper charged with child sex abuse

SAN JUAN COUNTY — A former Utah Highway Patrol trooper is now facing charges for multiple counts of child sexual abuse court documents state.

Bryan Adams, 55, is being charged with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, two counts of forcible sexual abuse, and two counts of lewdness involving a child.

According to the court documents, Adams frequently exposed himself and inappropriately treated his children to derive “sexual gratification.” All the encounters occurred within his own home.

UHP received a complaint of Adams’ potential criminal misconduct and he was put on administrative leave on March 13, 2022 pending a criminal investigation.

The release states, “the Department of Public Safety’s Office of Professional Standards quickly initiated an internal investigation.”

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office, (USCO) conducted their own criminal investigation into the allegations and on April 21, UHP was informed criminal charges had been filed.

The Utah Department of Public Safety’s Office of Professional Standards is currently completing an internal investigation. At the conclusion of this investigation, the findings will be referred to Utah Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST).

Adams resigned from the Utah Highway Patrol on April 11, 2022.

UHP released the following statement, “The mission of the Utah Highway Patrol can only be accomplished by maintaining the public trust and confidence of those we serve. Criminal charges of this nature are extremely serious and do not represent the standards we strive to attain or the values we hold at UHP.”

Adams has worked with the Utah Highway Patrol since November 2012.