How Could You? Hall of Shame-Skyler Eugene Hartsough

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Ogden,Utah, youth counselor Skyler Eugene Hartsough,26,”was charged in two cases in 2nd District Court. In one case, he was charged with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony; and in the other he was charged with cultivation of marijuana, a third-degree felony; possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; and possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.

Hartsough worked at Youth Health Associates, a group home for adolescent boys in Clearfield, but was fired after his arrest.

“Nothing happened here,” said Brian Garlock, owner of Youth Health Associates. “It didn’t involve our boys, our staff, our company. We obviously did everything that we could do as far as the protections, the background checks. There were no red flags.”

Search warrants were served on Hartsough’s house, …., on Tuesday. Investigators found 10 marijuana plants growing in the basement, drug paraphernalia, a rifle and child pornography, according to charging documents. Hartsough told investigators he grew the marijuana for personal daily use, the charges state.

Members of the Internet Crimes Against Children task force seized multiple electronic devices containing images and videos of child pornography, according to charging documents.

“Hartsough stated during the course of the interview that he routinely and regularly views images of child pornography and that he obtained child pornographic images through a peer-to-peer network over the course of years,” the charges state.

Hartsough also worked for two months in 2015 as a temporary case worker in Ogden and was terminated for cause, according to the Utah Department of Child and Family Services.

According to an online biography from a prior employer, Hartsough “specializes in helping children and families who have experienced trauma; especially sexual abuse, family violence, physical abuse and associated injuries come to terms with acceptance and life moving forward.”

He did his undergraduate internship course work with St. Anne’s Center catering to mental health needs and interned for the state of Utah in Weber County for Division of Child and Family Services.”

Youth counselor charged with child porn, marijuana possession [KSL 5/5/16 by Pat Reavy]

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