Photo credit: Davis County Jail
SALT LAKE CITY — A bishop for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is under arrest and has been charged with possession of child pornography.
In an affidavit of probable cause, Timothy James Hallows, 61, of Kaysville, was identified as a Skype user accused of uploading child exploitation material.
Hallows, who served as bishop of the Wellington Ward in Kaysville, was booked into the Davis County Jail.
Davis County investigators say Hallows faces at least eight counts of enticement of a minor by internet or text and expect more.
A probable cause statement indicates Hallows waived his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with investigators. The statement also indicates that Hallows admitted to distributing child sexual abuse material during online communication while using the social media application Skype.
Investigators say they found thousands of images of pornography, including many images of child sexual abuse.
The probable cause statement also indicates that Hallows described camping trips with children, where he took pictures of them. According to the document, he is accused of conducting these trips during his service as a bishop for the church.
In a statement, a church spokesman said, “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,” the statement continued.
“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,” the statement read.