A Utah man has been convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison for taking video of young boys using the bathrooms in a church and a community center, court documents reveal.
In March, Jeffrey Aaron Young, 39, pleaded guilty to 14 felonies, including counts of voyeurism by electronic equipment and one count each of sexual exploitation and obstruction of justice. Young was arrested in January for having hidden cameras in the boys bathroom of an LDS church and the Legacy Center recreation center in Lehi.
Fourth District Court Judge James Taylor ordered Young to serve his felony convictions consecutively and imposed the maximum sentence of 30 years in prison for the crimes. Taylor also levied a $133,602 fine on the convicted sex offender.
Police arrested Young on Jan. 13 after several kids told community center and church officials they saw cameras in the restrooms. Several church officials also told investigators that Young was spotted acting strangely in one of the bathrooms after a group of children entered the facility.
The members of the LDS church involved confirmed Young was a member of a neighboring LDS congregation.
During its investigation at Young’s home, Lehi police discovered computers and hard drives containing photos and videos made in the bathrooms going back at least to 2012.
In January, LDS officials said a man matching Young’s description walked into the church and then straight to the bathroom where he was seen secreting a recording device in one of the bathrooms at the church. Police were told that the recording device was hidden in a crack between a wall and a stall.
“We believe he was taking pictures through the gap. We got two additional calls throughout the month of December of the same individual at the same church,” Lehi Police Lt. Toby Peterson said at the time.
Young refused to give police permission to look at his cell phone when he was brought into the Lehi police station for a first interview in January, and after he was released, police discovered the now convicted suspect destroyed the device to prevent it being used against him.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston, or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.
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