Utah therapist charged with sex abuse

Crime • Therapist admitted to the sexual contact, charges say.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Centerville therapist was charged Monday with allegedly having sex with a teenage client.

Scott Andrew Peterson, 36, of Bountiful, was charged in 2nd District Court with forcible sodomy, three counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of lewdness. His first charge is a first-degree felony, for which he could serve up to life in prison if convicted.

Peterson, a licensed clinical social worker, owned Therapy on the Fly in Centerville before it closed in August, police said. Police said the teenage girl was receiving therapy from Peterson, and their "sexual relations" occurred at the Main Street business.

The encounters occurred between March and August, according to the charges.

Police said the girl confided in her bishop about the alleged abuse, and the legal department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints notified police.

Centerville police arrested Peterson on Thursday. He admitted to the sexual contact, which had occurred at least "a dozen times," the charges add.

He is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.

Peterson has no criminal record in Utah other than a traffic citation in 1994, , according to a search of court records.

mmcfall@sltrib.com

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