Former Minnesota Mormon leader convicted of sexual assault

From registered sex offender to church leader

Unknown to members of a southern Minnesota congregation until three years ago, one of its leaders was a lifetime registered sex offender from Utah, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS).

(FOX 9) - A former Mormon congregation leader who went from convicted sex offender to being a church leader in Minnesota was convicted Friday of assaulting a 13-year-old boy in 2019.

Unknown to members of the Mormon congregation until three years ago, one of its leaders, Michael Adam Davis, 34, was a lifetime registered sex offender from Utah, the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). FOX 9 previously detailed what led to the revelation.

A Dodge County Sheriff’s deputy traffic stop on Feb. 17, 2019 started the investigation into Davis after he was pulled over when a child was seen moving around the front seat while not wearing a seat belt.

When the deputy ran Davis drivers’ license and discovered he was a lifetime registered sex offender in Utah.

The boy would later admit Davis repeatedly sexually assaulted him and tried to rape him.

The congregation only learned of Davis’ background when he was charged in March 2019 with sexually assaulting the 13-year-old boy whose family were members of the church.

After a trial began Monday, the jury took less than four hours to reach a decision.