A therapist is in jail after he allegedly sexually abused a 16-year-old female patient, and police suspect there may be other victims.
Jason Scott Calder, 41, of Bountiful, was arrested Monday on suspicion of rape and other sexual abuse counts, according to a news release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
The teenage girl, who was being housed at a residential youth treatment facility where Calder worked, told her new therapist that Calder had sexually abused her on more than 10 occasions between March and June of this year.
The teen said the abuse occurred during scheduled therapist sessions with Calder, according to the release.
Without knowing the extent of Calder’s relationship with the teen, staff members and other residents at the center nevertheless noticed behavior that was inappropriate, according to the probable cause statement. Many of Calder’s therapy sessions with the girl were scheduled late at night and included walks outside of the facility, which did not occur with other patients.
Calder’s job at the center was to provide “therapy and treatment for troubled youth,” according to the statement. He had access to the victim’s medical and mental health file, which put her “very much at risk” to the man, who was “in a position of trust.”
The teen said that Calder became “very friendly” with her and their sessions turned into personal conversations, during which Calder told her things about his personal and private life that a therapist would not typically disclose to a juvenile patient.
During one session, Calder walked the teen to a secluded area, where he allegedly had sex with her.
Shortly after that incident, Calder was fired from his position at the Utah County youth treatment center, the statement says. According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon, the sheriff’s office doesn’t believe officials at the facility knew about the alleged sexual abuse, only that his relationship with the girl was deemed “inappropriate.”
Calder, a licensed marriage and family therapist, worked at a youth treatment center in Utah County until at least the end of June, Cannon said, though the exact date of his termination was not known. Calder has more recently been working at a facility in Salt Lake County, police documents say. As of Monday, he remained employed with the Salt Lake County facility, according to the documents.
Cannon declined to release the name of either treatment facility where Calder has been employed.
Calder has worked as a therapist in Utah and Salt Lake counties for a number of years, according to the documents. “This has provided him with access to a number of girls who were in similar circumstances as the victim in this case. The potential for other victims in this case is extremely high.”
Police are asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Calder or know someone who may have been a victim to contact the Utah County Sheriff’s Office at 801-851-4010.
Calder was booked into the Utah County jail on Monday night, Cannon said. His bail is set at $100,000, cash-only.
Formal charges have not been filed by Utah County prosecutors.
