CHUBBUCK, Idaho (KIFI) — A district judge has rejected a plea deal that would have allowed a former Chubbuck church leader accused of sexually abusing six young members of his congregation to avoid serving prison time and registering as a sex offender.
On Monday, Sixth Judicial District Judge Robert Naftz rejected the proposed agreement for 45-year-old Virgil Larson, according to court records. Under the terms of the agreement, Larson’s charges would have been reduced to felony injury to a child, and he would have been exempted from mandatory sex offender registration. In exchange, prosecutors planned to recommend a suspended prison sentence in favor of probation, capped at 30 years.
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At the time of his arrest, Larson served as a local leader or counselor in a local ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to reporting by ABC4 in Utah.
Investigation and Arrest
Court documents indicate the investigation began on July 3, 2024, after the Chubbuck Police Department received a tip from Kirton McConkie, a Lehi, Utah-based law firm representing the church. The report claimed several underage children in the community may have been abused by an adult male.
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“The Chubbuck Police Department Criminal Investigations Division opened an investigation into the circumstances and learned that several underage teenage boys had potentially been victims of sexual abuse, while at Mr. Larson’s residence,” states the initial press release.
On September 17, 2024, officers from the Chubbuck and Pocatello Police Departments executed a search warrant at Larson’s home. Larson turned himself in to the authorities later that day and was booked into the Bannock County Jail.
Charges and Upcoming Trial
The affidavit of probable cause detailing the investigation was sealed in September 2024 to protect the identities of the underage victims. Larson was initially charged with five felony counts of sexual abuse of a child under 16, with an added sixth count as the investigation moved forward.
With the plea agreement thrown out, Larson is now scheduled to stand trial before a jury on January 12, 2027, where he will face all six original felony counts of lewd conduct with a minor under 16. If convicted on all charges, Larson faces up to life in prison.
