Curtis Crittenden, the former head of 4-H in Tooele County who is serving out a prison sentence for child sexual abuse, has admitted to molesting more than twice as many boys as he had previously.

Crittenden confessed last Thursday during a parole hearing to abusing a total of 14 young boys over a span of 13 years — a number that is up from the six Tooele County cases he was sentenced on.

The new offenses involve four Cache County boys — whom Crittenden abused while attending Utah State University from 1999 to 2001 — and four more whom he molested while serving an LDS mission in Guatemala from 1994 to 1996, according to Jim Hatch, spokesman for the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole.

Crittenden, now 34, was arrested in June 2007 after a young Latino boy confided to his soccer coach that he had been molested by Crittenden while attending a sleep-over at Crittenden’s Tooele home earlier that month. An investigation that was later launched revealed six victims, all Spanish-speaking boys from Wendover, who were abused during similar circumstances.

Crittenden was originally charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child — a first-degree felony — and three counts of aggravated sex abuse of a child — a second-degree felony — because he occupied a “position of special trust” over the boys. Those charges were lowered during plea negotiations, however, resulting in a guilty plea to six second-degree felony charges of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

Crittenden, who has a master’s degree and worked for the Utah State University extension service, routinely hosted sleep-overs at his house although the practice was against 4-H program policy.

In September 2007, Crittenden was sentenced to six to 30 years behind bars.

Charges were never filed against Crittenden in the Cache County cases.

Sex offenders serving prison time on second-degree felonies are automatically granted an initial parole hearing after serving 18 months, but that doesn’t mean the offender is being considered for early release, Hatch said.

“These are really serious crimes, especially considering the admission of more victims,” Hatch said. “The fact that a hearing was scheduled doesn’t mean he will be let out anytime soon.”

Crittenden has a sentencing guideline that suggests he serve at least 10 years in prison, Hatch said, although the board can go above or below that recommendation.

“No decision is made right after a hearing,” Hatch said. “It requires a majority vote of the five board members. The hearing officer will write up a report, making a recommendation to the board, and the board will make the next decision.”

Hatch said he expects the decision will be another parole hearing, which will occur sometime in the future after Crittenden has completed sex offender treatment.

“I think it’s safe to say that they are not going to parole him anytime soon, or even grant a date for a rehearing,” Hatch said.

Jamie Belnap: jamieb@tooeletranscript.com