A Bannock County judge rejected a plea agreement Monday for a Chubbuck man accused of sexually abusing multiple teenage boys during massage sessions at his home, reinstating more serious felony charges and setting the stage for a jury trial early next year.
Judge Robert C. Naftz presided over the hearing at the Bannock County Courthouse in Pocatello, ruling that admissions made by Virgil Dean Larson, 47, failed to satisfy the willfulness requirement under Idaho’s injury-to-child statute. That finding effectively killed the March plea deal and returned the case to its original posture under lewd conduct charges — charges that carry a potential life sentence and up to a $50,000 fine.
What the Plea Deal Would Have Allowed
The rejected agreement would have required Larson to plead guilty to six felony counts of injury to a child. Critically, the deal would have spared him both prison time and mandatory registration as a sex offender — terms that drew sharp criticism from at least one member of his congregation.
Holly Taylor, who attends the same Chubbuck-area Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints congregation where Larson served as a young men’s program leader, wrote a letter to Judge Naftz on June 26 urging the court not to accept the arrangement. “I feel that this is a slap in the face to these victims,” Taylor wrote. She added that she had known Larson for years and was “appalled and sickened by what he has done to the youth in my ward.”
Larson’s alleged victims were boys between the ages of 10 and 15. Prosecutors allege he initiated contact with the buttocks and intimate areas of the minors during massage and cupping therapy sessions conducted at his Chubbuck home. His position as a youth program leader in the congregation gave him a degree of trusted access to those families.
Case History and Road to Trial
Chubbuck police arrested Larson in September 2024 after the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare forwarded initial allegations to law enforcement. The arrest drew attention to the combination of a trusted religious role and alleged conduct occurring in a private home under the guise of therapeutic treatment.
With the plea deal now off the table, Larson faces the original lewd conduct charges. A pretrial conference is scheduled for December 21, 2026, with a jury trial set for January 12, 2027. If convicted, Larson could face the maximum penalties under Idaho law — including the possibility of life imprisonment.
The case echoes other child sexual abuse prosecutions that have moved through Bannock County courts in recent years. A Pocatello man was sentenced to up to 30 years in prison following a conviction on child sexual abuse charges and possession of thousands of child exploitation images, a case that also involved prolonged access to minors.
What Comes Next
With the plea deal rejected and lewd conduct charges reinstated, Larson will face a jury. The December pretrial conference will likely address evidentiary matters, witness lists, and any pretrial motions before the January 2027 trial date.
The outcome of Monday’s ruling is a significant shift in the trajectory of the case. What appeared to be a resolution that avoided both prison and sex offender registration for Larson is now replaced by the prospect of trial on charges carrying the most serious penalties under Idaho law. For the families of the alleged victims, the decision moves the case toward a full public airing of the evidence rather than a closed-door guilty plea.
Bannock County prosecutors and Larson’s defense team will have the coming months to prepare their respective cases. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has not been named as a party to the proceedings.
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