Hearing set for naked man ‘looking for a wife’ at Utah temple

Stock image | St. George News

UTAH — A preliminary hearing for a 53-year-old Idaho man who was arrested after being caught wandering naked on the grounds of a Mormon temple while “looking for a wife” has been scheduled for Dec. 19.

Kelly Thayne Archibald, of Franklin, Idaho, booking photo posted Nov. 13, 2016 | Photo courtesy of the Cache County Sheriff's Office, St. George News
Kelly Thayne Archibald, of Franklin, Idaho, booking photo posted Nov. 13, 2016 | Photo courtesy of the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

On Nov. 13, witnesses reported seeing the man, identified as Kelly Thayne Archibald, in all his naked glory after he dropped a blanket he had wrapped around his waist.

The nude man then proceeded to climb the gate of the Logan temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, according to the Logan Police Department.

Archibald, a convicted sex offender, told investigators he was naked because that’s how he entered the world, police said.

His truck was found parked on a nearby sidewalk, the Herald-Journal reported, but there was no clothing inside.

Archibald was arrested and booked into the Cache County Jail.

The Cache County Attorney’s Office filed an Information in 1st District Court accusing Archibald of third-degree felony lewdness by a sex offender, class B misdemeanor criminal trespass and an infraction for disorderly conduct.

Monday, during an Initial Appearance before Judge Thomas Willmore, Archibald’s attorney, Michael McGinnis, requested a preliminary hearing set for Dec. 19 at 1:30 p.m., according to court documents.

McGinnis also requested that Archibald’s ordered bail amount of $5,000 be reduced. The prosecution, however, objected, and the court did not reduce the bail.

According to the Herald-Journal, Archibald served prison time in Idaho after pleading guilty in 2008 to sexually abusing a child under 16.

His prior conviction for a sexual offense enhances the lewdness charge from a misdemeanor to a felony.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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2 Comments

  • Don December 8, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    What the heck had he heard about the temple?

  • ladybugavenger December 8, 2016 at 4:48 pm

    Everything about this is wrong and twisted perhaps he should have joined the FLDS.

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