Nampa Idaho LDS Bishop Removed Due to Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors

I was raised LDS. I come from a family of five girls and we were all raised in the church. I have two sisters that are married to returned missionaries and still are very active in the church and raising their families in the Mormon religion. While we are all still a tight knit family about half of of us no longer practice. I started pulling away from the religion when I was about 17 for various personal reasons. What I can say is that there are a lot of things that I appreciated and enjoyed growing up in the Latter Day Saints church in Arizona. I never had any issues with leaders, in fact even though I have not had any contact with many of them for 15+ years, I will always apricate them. I had fantastic respectful relationships with every adult I had interactions with. This news is very upsetting.

There is a bishop, well past bishop for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Nampa's 30th Ward, within the Nampa Idaho East Stake, which is a larger district made up of multiple wards. According to  Yahoo via Ian Max Stevenson with the Idaho Statesman, was removed from his post after allegations that he sexually abused two minors. According to court documents he has officially been charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a child and two counts of child sexual abuse.

33 year old Nampa resident, Dylan Kevin Whiting has been the bishop from December 2019 until January 2021. Which is when the church became aware of allegations against him. According to police records the two minors who have the case against him, do not know him through the church.

Sam Penrod, a spokesperson for the church in Salt Lake City, said in a statement emailed to the Idaho Statesman, “Abuse of any kind is not tolerated in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Anyone who engages in such behavior is rightfully subject to criminal prosecution and also faces discipline from the Church, including loss of Church membership.”

Whiting has been charged with touching two underage girls in a sexual manner between 2011 and 2020, according to a criminal complaint. He could see a lot of time behind bars. Lewd conduct with a minor is punishable by up to life in prison, while child sexual abuse is punishable by up to 25 years.

Whiting was arraigned in Canyon County District Court on the four felony charges on April 12. On April 15, he posted $100,000 bail. On June 28 he pleaded not guilty to all four charges, according to court records. A no-contact order with the two individuals is active while the case is ongoing, or until 2023. The mediation in this case is set for Sept. 22.