MURRAY, Utah — The day after a director at the Boys and Girls Club in Murray was arrested on suspicion of soliciting sex with a 5-year-old child, questions are being asked about how the man was hired in the first place and what kind of checks are made to keep children safe.
“Any organization of any size can do things to make sure they’re creating a culture of safety and making sure these things don’t get covered up,” said Bethany Crisp, systems director at the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
On Monday, an investigator with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security booked 25-year-old Patrick Baker into the Salt Lake County Jail after he allegedly tried to arrange a sexual encounter with the person he thought was the child.
During his arrest, Baker, who is the teen program director at the Boys and Girls Club, also admitted to having depictions of child sex abuse on his phone.
Baker's employment at the Boys and Girls Club has been terminated and he has been barred from being near its facilities.
In a statement following Baker's arrest, Boys and Girls Club president and
CEO Amanda Ree Gardener claimed the organization puts hiring candidates through criminal background checks.
“We know that any organization… church, school… should regularly be looking at and evaluating their policies, making sure that resources are available for victims that may be wanting to come forward and talk about these things,” added Crisp. “There are some resources, like the statewide sexual assault help hotline, that they can make regularly available for any clients or any employees.”
Gardner said the Boys and Girls Club will offer its full cooperation to authorities during its investigation into Baker.
Crisp added that sexual abuse can impact people who weren’t themselves abused.
“There can definitely be some vicarious trauma from knowing someone who’s been victim of sexual assault," she said, "especially from people that are close to someone. So we’d encourage them to still reach out.”
The Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault has a 24-hour helpline for survivors, families, professionals and anyone else impacted. English speakers can call 801-736-4356. Spanish speakers can call 801-924-0860.
