Ex-Mormon Bishop Sentenced to 3 Years, Sent to State Prison

The former bishop of a Mormon Church ward in Menifee was officially sentenced today to three years in prison for sexually molesting two teenage girls who attended his church.

Todd M. Edwards, 49, appeared in Riverside Superior Court a month after he entered a guilty plea to charges of sexual battery and sexual penetration with a foreign object. By order of judge Becky Dugan, he will serve two concurrent three-year sentences in prison.

Edwards had been free on bail since Aug. 19 and was living in Nevada for a time. He was taken away in handcuffs to Riverside County jail to await transfer to a state prison. He will have to register as a lifetime sex-offender.

Edwards was released as bishop of the Menifee Ward after church officials learned of the investigation in 2012. He was arrested at his Murrieta residence May 28, 2013 following an investigation into allegations of sexual crimes in November 2006 and February 2012.

According to the police incident report, the 2006 incident involved a 16-year-old girl. The victim in the 2012 incident was 18 at the time. Both girls attended the Menifee Ward, according to police documents. Edwards was not serving as bishop at the time of the 2006 incident.