MONTICELLO, Utah, April 21, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Child sex abuse charges have been filed against a recently resigned Utah Highway Patrol trooper accused of exposing himself to children ages 8-16 at least five times over a two-year period.
Bryan Bruce Adams, 45, of Monticello, was formally charged Thursday in San Juan County’s 7th District Court following a criminal investigation by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
UHP received a complaint of potential criminal misconduct involving Adams on March 10, and he was placed on administrative leave three days later, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Adams resigned from UHP on April 11 amid the investigation, the release states. He had been with the department since November 2012, according to UHP.
“The mission of the Utah Highway Patrol can only be accomplished by maintaining the public trust and confidence of those we serve,” according to a statement from UHP. “Criminal charges of this nature are extremely serious and do not represent the standards we strive to attain or the values we hold at UHP.”
The charges stem from alleged abuse at Adams’ San Juan County home between October 2019 and October 2021, according to charging documents.
Adams has been charged with two counts each of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony; forceable sex abuse, a second-degree felony; and lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor.
Adams has been deemed “an extreme risk to the alleged victims” and is considered a flight risk, “having already resigned his position and allegedly left the state of Utah,” court documents state. Pending his arrest, Adams will be held without bail, court documents state.
The DPS Office of Professional Standards is conducting its own investigation into Adams’ conduct, which will include a review of the criminal charges filed Thursday, as well as internal policy violations, according to UHP. The findings of that investigation will be referred to Utah Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST).
