Former Winslow Unified School District employee Daniel “Scott” Larsen pleaded guilty in Navajo County Superior Court before Judge Pro Tem Jon H. Saline and was sentence last week to sexual conduct with a minor of at least 15 years of age while in a position of trust, attempted sexual conduct with a minor of at least 15 years of age while in a position of trust and three counts of public sexual indecency to a minor. He was sentenced to six years in the Arizona Department of Corrections (DOC) for sexual conduct with a minor of at least 15 years of age, 15 years of supervised probation for attempted sexual conduct with a minor of at least 15 years of age to be served after release from the DOC, and unsupervised probation for the three counts of public sexual indecency to terminate upon payment of a fine of $1,800 per count ($5,400 total). In addition, he is required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and is prohibited from having contact with anyone under the age of 18, with the exception of his children and grandchildren, and may not have contact with his victims without permission from the court. He must conduct 300 hours of community service.
According to the Navajo County Attorney’s Office, restitution will remain open for the period of probation as Judge Saline noted that it is likely the four victims will seek additional counseling and treatment to deal with the long-term effects of their ordeals at the hands of Larsen, as such it will be left open for the duration of Larsen’s sentence and probation, so victims can include associated treatment fees in their restitution claims.
Larsen’s sentencing hearing was attended by all four victims, three of whom were family members of Larsen, who spoke about the pain and suffering they experienced as a result of his manipulation and coercion. Larsen’s mother and wife also addressed the court, speaking to his character and the type of person they know him to be.
The charges against Larsen stem from incidents of sexual abuse that were first reported to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Unit in August 2021. Three women reported to have been sexually abused by Larsen, with the crimes occurring between the years of 1993 and 1999 and one reported being sexually abused by Larsen between the years of 2014 and 2017, while she was a student-athlete at Winslow High School and Larsen was employed as a wrestling coach and member of the information technology department at the WUSD.
At the time the initial investigation began in 2021, Larsen was placed on administrative leave from the WUSD. He later returned to work at the district at the start of the 2022 school year, but was terminated on Oct. 20, following his indictment by the grand jury.
According to the indictment, Larsen allegedly engaged in sexual conduct with a student-athlete on several occasions, including on the Winslow High School campus. It was also said that during a tumultuous and vulnerable time in the student athlete’s life, after the abuse has already begun, Larsen purchased the home next to hers and used that increased access to further exude control over her.
The statements from the victims presented to the judge conveyed the trauma they experienced, each expressing how difficult it was to finally accept that it was not their fault and that their journey of recovery is far from over.
“These crimes spanned decades and involved children who were aged five to 14 when the abuse began,” said Navajo County Attorney Brad Carlyon. “It takes courage to come forward, whether it’s been a few hours, a few years or a few decades since a crime occurred. We applaud the courage of these women and are gratified to achieve an outcome where the offender admitted his guilt in court, and a measure of justice is being served. We hope there can be greater healing for the victims and their families.”
Larsen was represented by Attorney Bruce Griffen for the defense, with Deputy County Attorney Rob Edwards for the prosecution.
