UT Missionary Charged With LDS-Themed Child Porn

March 18, 2023 Crime, Religion

Salt Lake City’s ABC affiliate reports:

A Sandy man faces 10 felonies for possessing child porn, some of it allegedly LDS themed. Roland E. Westrup, 23, was charged in the 3rd District Court with 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a 2nd-degree felony.

He could be put away for up to 15 years for each charge, if that is the case, he could be in jail for life. Westrup admitted he had possessed animated child porn depicting a young Joseph Smith, founder of the LDS church.

Prosecutors have requested that Westrup be held without bail in the Salt Lake County Jail pending trial.

Salt Lake City’s NBC affiliate reports:

The Internet Crimes Against Children task force began investigating Westrup in December after suspected child pornography was uploaded on the Discord app. When questioned by investigators, Westrup claimed he had been viewing child pornography for over 10 years and “would seek out, find and download” it, according to charging documents.

Prosecutors say Westrup also “engages in sexually-charged fantasy conversations” and talks about “sexually abusing male children in his church congregation,” according to the charges. Furthermore, he has “engaged in religiously-themed sexual fantasies,” including missionaries sexually abusing children, the charges state.

Floodlit, a site that tracks Mormon sex abuse, describes Westrup as a full-time church missionary who recently spent two years performing door-to-door proselytizing in Missouri and Illinois.



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