Church leader charged with sexual abuse after allegedly giving naked massages to multiple boys

CHUBBUCK — A 45-year-old man has been arrested after police say he gave naked massages to multiple young boys.

Virgil Larson is charged with five counts of felony child sexual abuse.

Court documents say on July 3, a Bannock County Sheriff’s deputy was told of a possible sexual abuse case after “several boys had possibly been touched inappropriately by a neighbor and church leader who was giving them massages.”

Court documents say Larson was the first counselor in the leadership of his local Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ward.

Three minor victims reported the abuse to their ward bishop. The Sheriff’s Office learned about the abuse from the Kirton McConkie Law Office in Lehi, Utah, which represents the church, according to police reports.

The law office reportedly disclosed the information to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.

The victims identified the suspect as Larson and stated that “the massages were done on the naked body, focusing on the buttocks.”

On July 5, a woman met with a deputy and reported that Larson had also been massaging her son. According to police reports, she “did not think anything of it since (Larson) is a trusted individual with the church. ”

According to the woman, Larson had picked up her son from their home and taken him to his home for a massage.

When they arrived, they entered a bedroom with a massage table, and Larson reportedly locked the door. According to court documents, the victim then “got scared and started praying.”

The victim stated Larson requested he take off all of his clothes because “it was better to have skin-to-skin contact during the massage.”

By July 9, four more victims had come forward, bringing the total to seven victims, one of which was 18 years old.

Each minor victim was asked to participate in a forensic interview at Bright Tomorrow’s Child Advocacy Center, and the adult victim was asked to interview with a deputy.

During the forensic interviews, the victims reported similar stories of being massaged naked, with a towel covering their private areas. Each victim said Larson never touched their genitals but said he often came very close.

One victim says he suffered a back injury, and Larson invited him to his house for a massage. When he arrived, they entered the bedroom with the massage table, and Larson reportedly locked the door before removing the victim’s clothes and massaging his buttocks.

At one point, the victim says Larson used a “cupping device,” which caused bruising on his back.

After the forensic interview, this victim’s mother told deputies she was not aware her son was receiving massages until she saw the bruising on his back and asked him about it.

Another victim reported a similar massage abuse story and also said he “consistently receives text messages from (Larson).”

Many of the victims reported feeling uncomfortable during the massages, including one who asked if he could keep some clothes on, and Larson reportedly said he should be naked so he “didn’t get coconut oil on (his) underwear.”

Many victims also claimed Larson made the situation “seem normal” even though they felt it wasn’t. They also claimed Larson was often “out of breath” during the massages.

Victims reported there were no sexual conversations had during the massages and Larson would “only talk about basketball, golf, or how the day was going.” However, one victim reported Larson had taken a photo of him on the massage table to show the bruising on his back.

One victim reported a different situation, where Larson had taken him to Gold’s Gym and reportedly exposed his genitalia to him mid-conversation while in the locker room.

When talking to the parents of the victims, a few claimed they knew about the massages but thought that “Larson had some physical therapy training.” Some also stated they found out about the alleged abuse after multiple children reported it to their church’s bishop.

On July 25, Larson was interviewed by deputies. According to police reports, Larson claimed he currently works in finance but stated he “initially worked for a physical therapist and thought that was what he wanted to do before he settled on finance. ”

Court documents say Larson admitted he has no formal education in physical therapy but said he has finance clients who were massage therapists and has taken his child to physical therapy sessions.

Larson claimed two of his relatives have physical ailments, so he researched on the internet to find ways to help them, which led him to buy a massage table.

When asked how many people he had massaged outside his family, Larson said, “Possibly eight or nine people in the last year.”

He then allegedly began telling the deputy about a boy he massaged, who had already identified themselves as a victim. Larson said the victim’s parents were aware of the massaging and denied any touching of the victim’s private areas.

When asked if he had accidentally touched any of the minor’s private areas, Larson reportedly stated he “could not recall or not that he was aware of.”

He later admitted that there “may have been times when (the victim’s genitalia) were covered with a towel and as he pushed on an area of the body, it would move, and the covered genitalia would touch his hand” but stated there was “no intention.”

Larson then told the deputy about many of the victims, telling very similar stories to the reports against him but saying that he couldn’t identify if any of them were minors.

When asked if the parents of the victims knew that “their children were going to be nude at his residence and that he was going to be massaging their glutes.” Larson reportedly stated he felt it was “understood” but did not “specifically have those conversations with the parents.”

He also reportedly claimed the massages “were not sexual to him.”

That same day, deputies learned of two more potential victims, a minor boy and a seven-year-old girl. According to the girl, Larson asked her and multiple other children to come to his house for cupping therapy.

A warrant was issued for Larson’s arrest on Tuesday, and he was booked into the Bannock County Jail on the same day with a bond of $100,000.

On Wednesday, his bond was lowered to $25,000 and he posted bail to be released and sent to pre-trial supervision.

He is expected to appear for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 1. If convicted, he could face up to life in prison.

Though Larson has been charged with these crimes, this does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.