What did John Goodrich do? Charges explored as LDS church former bishop arrested over crimes against daughter

Former bishop John Goodrich has been accused by his 38-year-old daughter, who claimed that he s*xually abused her when she was a child. In light of these allegations, the constant efforts of the Mormon church to safeguard itself from several abuse claims have been revealed.

Trigger warning: This article contains details about s*xual abuse.

The Associated Press carried out an investigation that revealed the alleged dark side of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In January, the news station reported that Goodrich was indicted on multiple s*x crime charges, including forcible sodomy.

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Former LDS church bishop John Goodrich faces several abuse charges in connection to allegedly exploiting his daughter

Ex-bishop John Goodrich has been taken into custody this week in Virginia based on child assault charges. The victim has been identified as John's daughter, Chelsea Goodrich, who is still trying to process the news of her father's arrest.

It was in 2015 that Chelsea opened up about the alleged abuse by John for the first time. In January, a Williamsburg grand jury indicted the former bishop with multiple charges like r*pe by force, threat or intimidation, forcible sodomy, and two counts of aggravated s*xual battery by a parent of a child.

However, previously, the suspect had denied the allegations. As per the Salt Lake Tribune, on Wednesday, Chelsea revealed that her dad was hiding after the indictment in January. A manhunt was underway until this week when he ultimately surrendered. However, the Associated Press reported that John Goodrich has been released on bond that permits him to leave Virginia during the legal processes.

The victim expressed her concerns about the suspect's previous link with the Mormon church and said:

"The prosecutor isn’t going to be influenced by attorneys for the LDS Church."

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According to the victim, the church knew about the alleged abuse

The suspect, John Goodrich's indictment in January took place sometime after the Associated Press revealed in an investigation about how the Mormon church allegedly had measures to suppress assault cases.

The news station revealed that Paul Rytting, a Utah attorney and head of the church’s Risk Management Division, spent over a decade trying to handle several lawsuits, many related to assault charges. The Salt Lake Tribune reported the victim's statement referring to the church authorities, which read:

"They know he abused me. I have to fight this battle all on my own because the LDS Church is suppressing the other witnesses involved."

She spoke about the alleged abuse and told the Associated Press:

"I hope this case will finally bring justice for my childhood s*xual abuse. I'm grateful it appears that the Commonwealth of Virginia is taking one event of child s*xual assault more seriously than years of repeated assaults were treated in Idaho."

News outlets have tried reaching out to the suspect, but no response was received from his end. His defense lawyer, Tommy Norment, declined to give any comment or statement concerning the issue.