Mormon Church Defends Minnesota Leader of Sexual Assault | Ep. 1595

When a Registered Sex Offender Became a Mormon Leader: The Minnesota Case

The question haunts any parent: How did a registered sex offender become one of the highest-ranking leaders in a local Mormon congregation? This is not hypothetical. According to the Mormon Stories Podcast, a Minnesota case reveals a documented failure in institutional safeguarding that raises urgent questions about how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints vets and monitors individuals in positions of authority over children.

In May 2022, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Michael Davis, a man with prior convictions for sexual assault of minors in Utah, had been convicted of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old boy while serving as elders quorum president in a Minnesota branch. The case exposes a troubling pattern: church policies existed to prevent exactly this outcome, yet they went unenforced.

Background: Prior Convictions and Failed Annotation

Davis's history of sexual offenses was not secret. Court records show he had entered guilty pleas to previous crimes involving minors, including indecent exposure and lewdness before a child with an illness, and earlier allegations of rape. These convictions occurred in Utah, where Davis was registered as a sex offender.

Yet when Davis relocated to Minnesota, no annotation appeared in his membership record. Church handbooks explicitly state that any member convicted of a sex crime against a child should have their record annotated, and this annotation can only be removed by the First Presidency. The documentation was clear. The procedure existed. But it was not followed.