Law in LehirnA Case of Abusernby William N. GriggrnLehi, Utah, is somewhat famiHar to those who have seenrnthe movie Footlooae. The small Mormon eommunitvrnprovided Hollywood with the perfect setting for a tale of adolescentrnrebellion against parental and religious autlioritv. Yetrnshortly after the movie’s release 1 ;ehi’s pious image was rupturedrnbv a child abuse scandal.rnOne morning in the summer of 1985, Lehi president ShcliarnBowers left her three children with their aunt. When shernreturned for them, the aunt expressed concern that the childrenrnhad been “playing dirty”—tlicy seemed a bit too sexuallyrninquisitive. She suggested that the mother take them tornthe Intermountain Sexual Abuse Treatment Center (ISATC),rnwhere they were examined by therapist Barbara Snow. It tookrnSnow little time to diagnose the children as victims of sexualrnabuse. According to her, tlie children had named their babsitterrnas the abuser.rnAt the time, the Bowers’ regular babysitter was the teenagerndaughter of Keith Burnham, a local Mormon bishop. Otherrnparents who employed the Burnham girl as a sitter took theirrnchildren to be examined, and accusations began to multiply.rnSome of the children accused Burnham himself, as v’c]l asrnhis wife, of “touching” them. Snow contacted Robert Smith,rna psychologist who served as a counselor to Burnham’s LDSrncongregation. Snow informed Smith that children had beenrnmolested in Lehi and that the Burnham girl was the chiefrnsuspect. Smith was told to get a confession from tlie Burnhamrngirl without telling her parents, as the parents were also underrnsuspicion. When Smith was reluctant to follow Snow’s instructions,rnthe therapist threatened to call in the local printrnWilliam N. Grigg is a columnist for the Daily Herald inrnProvo, Utah.rnand television media, the sheriff, and the ACLIJ.rnIn testimony given later on the witness stand. Smith recalled,rn”I did not want to do what Snow asked. 1 realized I hadrnno permission or authority to talk to the children cither inrnmv professional or ecclesiastical position.” Snow instructedrnSmith to disclose the accusatifjn to a friend of the Burnhams,rnthus avoiding a direct confrontation with the parents. Smithrnignored Snow’s imperious dircctix’cs and spoke directly tornBishop Burnham. When Burnham was informed of the accusationsrnagainst his daughter, he readily agreed to let both ofrnhis children speak with Snow.rnBut Snow was not satisfied with Burnham’s cooperation.rnShe contacted Smith again, upbraided him as a “fool” andrnthundered, “You hae just blown this ease.” Shortl- afterrnBurnham agreed to send his children for examination, officialsrnfrom the State Division of Family Services pulled up to hisrndriveway and collected his kids. The children were placed in arnfoster home, where the were sul^jccted to a three-week regimenrnof examinations. Burnham had not been informed thatrnhis agreement would be construed bv the state as a licensernto abduct his children. He recalls his frustration as his childrenrnwere seized by the state: “Wliat do you do? They take vourrnchildren awav. They put them in foster homes. You can’trnsee them. There is no wav to fight back.”rnAfter a three-week ordeal of separation and scrutiny, thernstate sent the Burnham children back to their parents with arnpcrfunctor written apolog. No cx’idcncc had been foundrnof any physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; in fact, the childrenrnappeared to be products of an exemplary home. But despiternthe elimination of its primary suspects, the state’s investigationrnof Lehi continued.rnThe Lehi Eighth Ward, in which tlic Burnliams’ LDS eon-rn24/CHRONICLESrnrnrn