https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/fo ... ar-AARkadQA former Nampa bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has entered into a plea agreement after being charged with four sex crimes involving two minors, and he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison in January.
The plea agreement was drafted during mediation between the prosecution and defendant Dylan Kevin Whiting, 33, and it was presented at a hearing in 3rd District Court in Canyon County on Nov. 3, according to records obtained by the Idaho Statesman. Whiting is pleading guilty to one count of child sexual abuse — with a sentence of three years fixed and seven years indeterminate, meaning Whiting would be eligible for parole after 36 months.
Whiting also would serve five years of probation and have a five-year no-contact order with the two girls. After completing his sentence, the prosecution would not resist the defendant's efforts to be removed from the sex offender registry.
Under the deal in place, the judge is bound by the agreed-upon sentence if the guilty plea is accepted. However, the judge has the ability to reject the sentence as insufficient, which would allow Whiting to withdraw his plea at the sentencing hearing on Jan. 24.
Whiting was a lay bishop of Nampa's 30th Ward from December 2019 until January 2021, when the LDS church removed him from his post after becoming aware of allegations against him, according to a church spokesperson. Nampa's 30th Ward is within the Nampa Idaho East Stake, which includes multiple wards.
Whiting was initially charged with two counts of lewd conduct with a child and two counts of child sexual abuse, according to a criminal complaint. The allegations involve two underage girls known to Whiting personally rather than through the church, according to an affidavit from the Nampa Police Department.
Why does the Holy Ghost continue to sleep at the wheel?