SALT LAKE CITY — A former church bishop and mayor of West Bountiful was sentenced to prison Thursday on child sex abuse charges following incidents that dated back to the 80s.
Carl Johnson was given a sentence of 9 years to life for one felony, and another sentence of 1-to-15 years for a second. The sentences handed down are to be served consecutively.
Johnson, who served two terms as mayor before leaving office in 1997, was arrested in September on seven counts of aggravated sex abuse of a child.
Three victims were identified during the investigation into Johnson, with some incidents occurring as early as 1985. One female victim said she was five years old when Johnson began allegedly sexually assaulting her over a three-year period beginning in 1996.
All the victims in the investigation told police that Johnson warned them about telling anyone about the abuse.
During a police interview, Johnson admitted to the sexual assaults and other crimes he had committed, saying he had a problem "controlling his sexual urges and has struggled with this problem for most of his life."
