The final defendant in the Knights of the Crystal Blade child sex abuse case has pleaded guilty.  Robert Roe, of Castro, California, pleaded guilty to amended charges of aggravated child abuse, a 3rd degree felony; and reckless endangerment, a Class A misdemeanor, on Wednesday, January 22 in Manti’s 6th District Court. The charges stemmed from his 2017 trip to Utah where he joined the group and was given a 5-year old girl as a “bride.” The girl, a relative of one of the group’s founders, John Coltharp and Samuel Shaffer, revealed Roe’s involvement in 2018.  Both Coltharp and Shaffer are currently serving lengthy prison sentences for their convictions of child sex abuse.

Judge Mandy Larsen ordered Adult Probation and Parole to execute a pre-sentence investigation, and sentencing will take place in Manti on March 19 at 1 p.m.  Roe and his attorney, Steven Shapiro, were ordered to appear in person in Court on that date.