Tech Forum

Public record suggests a member of our ward was arrested for some serious stuff. He will likely go to jail for a very long time. I don't know where he is, how to get ahold of his family, there are no phone numbers, email address, etc. what should we do with his record?

See HB 1 13.6.4 last paragraph.

Gary_Miller wrote:See HB 1 13.6.4 last paragraph.

I don't know which prison. We certainly can't help him from where we are. I don't know the ward that can most help him. Now what?

There are somethings you do know such as the public record where he was arrested that should give you some idea of where he might be.

The Bishop could contact the Stake president in that area and talk to him about the situation. If the person is still going through the court process more than likely he is currently in the local city or county jail so the church in that area could check.

You can also send a message to CHQ through MLS and ask for the bishops number for a member of his family, that is if they are members. His children would be listed on his membership record if they are members there would be a membership number by his children name.

You could also contact his neighbor and see what they may know about the situation.

Gary_Miller wrote:There are somethings you do know such as the public record where he was arrested that should give you some idea of where he might be.

The Bishop could contact the Stake president in that area and talk to him about the situation. If the person is still going through the court process more than likely he is currently in the local city or county jail so the church in that area could check.

You can also send a message to CHQ through MLS and ask for the bishops number for a member of his family, that is if they are members. His children would be listed on his membership record if they are members there would be a membership number by his children name.

You could also contact his neighbor and see what they may know about the situation.

He was arrested somewhere in utah. That gives me no help in tracking down the correct stake pres or even a reasonably good fit. I know for a fact he was back in our area for a time but I have no idea exactly his whereabouts right now. (I presume it is back in Utah but I understand this person was on the run for a time after his arrest). Plus, is your advice handbook directed or your own advice?

I do like the idea of sending a message through MLS to CHQ (I never knew about that feature). Checking with the neighbors is likely not going to produce any additional knowledge. I will know more about the situation than they would.

krk22 wrote:He was arrested somewhere in utah. That gives me no help in tracking down the correct stake pres or even a reasonably good fit. I know for a fact he was back in our area for a time but I have no idea exactly his whereabouts right now. (I presume it is back in Utah but I understand this person was on the run for a time after his arrest).

I would guess you know the town where he was arrested? If so you can contact the Sheriffs office, the prosecutors office, or the court and maybe find out what prison or jail he is in. These records are usually public records.

krk22 wrote:Plus, is your advice handbook directed or your own advice?

The handbook says to get the record to the ward that can best serve the persons needs. The advice I gave was to give you some ideas on how to find that ward.
You may also want to include the ward council on this matter, it just might surprise you what they might know.

krk22 wrote:I do like the idea of sending a message through MLS to CHQ (I never knew about that feature).

I did that when we had a record returned from the unknown file with no address. The sent me the Name of the Bishop and the Wards name where the persons adult child's record was.

krk22 wrote:Checking with the neighbors is likely not going to produce any additional knowledge. I will know more about the situation than they would.

You not go to the neighbor for additional information just information about what jail or prison the person maybe in. Also the current resident in the house he lived in may have some information.

I would suggest you also follow the steps in the, First Presidency letter, 29 October 2012: Finding Lost Members. You can find it in the Official Communications library.

Most (if not all) states have a website where you can lookup prisoner records and determine at which facility they are being held.

For Utah the first place to check would be the Department of Corrections Offender Search which is found at http://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/services/offender-search.html

This will lead you to the physical address of the jail/prison in which the member is being held, from there you can determine which stake covers the geographical area and ask the stake president for additional guidance.

aclawson wrote:Most (if not all) states have a website where you can lookup prisoner records and determine at which facility they are being held.

For Utah the first place to check would be the Department of Corrections Offender Search which is found at http://corrections.utah.gov/index.php/services/offender-search.html

This will lead you to the physical address of the jail/prison in which the member is being held, from there you can determine which stake covers the geographical area and ask the stake president for additional guidance.

Link does not appear to work. It takes me to the webpage, I type in the offender's name, no results ever come up. I get an error message or a 'operation timed out' message depending on what operating system and browser I use. Any other thoughts?

krk22 wrote:Any other thoughts?

Assuming it doesn't magically start working Monday, I'd try some of the contacts listed on the right side of the page.