83 Felony Charges Filed Against Former Scout Leader

Today, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced more than 80 felony charges filed against Charles Sheldon Bates, 61, for alleged sex-related crimes against seven children that took place over 30 years, including while he was a scout leader.
 
The first incident of alleged abuse happened in 1986, and the last reported abuse happened in 2022. One witness, K.B., told detectives that when Bates was a scout leader, he “groomed” young men. In addition, K.B. told investigators that the defendant had a “large backdrop set up in the living room where [Bates] took nude photos of D.O.”A victim-survivor, C.C., told police that while he was 12 or 13 until he was about 14 years old, the defendant took him to a pool where he was abused by the defendant multiple times.
 
In 2022, Officers responded to Bates’ home, where the defendant’s family provided CDs, a mini-SD card and a computer to them. Detectives reviewed five of the CDs and found 134 images of child sex abuse material (CSAM).
 
The defendant is charged with:
 
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
 
“We hope that the filing of these charges help the victim-survivors see that their community is working together to bring them justice. This office will provide the resources necessary through our Survivor and Victim Services division to help these victim-survivors heal from their traumatic experiences,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “We appreciate the years of investigation by Unified Police Department that helped collect the necessary evidence which led to the filing of these charges. All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.”