MARTINSBURG (WV)
The Journal
February 7, 2018
By Kelsie LeRose
MARTINSBURG — On Tuesday, Chris Jensen, a defendant in the lawsuit alleging The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints covered up allegations that Michael Jensen sexually abused several children over a period of more than five years, continued to dispute the timeline of when he learned of the abuse.
The church contests allegations that leaders in the Martinsburg Stake were aware of Jensen’s crimes for as long as five years and did not report the suspected abuse to police.
Entering week four of the trial, the jury continued to hear the testimony of Chris Jensen, the father of Michael Jensen. Michael Jensen is currently serving 35 to 75 years in prison for sexually abusing two minors at the ages of 4 and 3.
Chris Jensen maintained that no one told him about the allegations that convicted Michael until the August 2012 hearing when his son was charged with child abuse.
For a majority of the time that the abuse occurred, Chris Jensen was often deployed with the military, having served for 30 years in the Army.
One large focus of Tuesday morning’s testimony involved a 2010 incident when Michael Jensen allegedly assaulted a family member, after which his father kicked him out of the house. He was 18 at the time.
Sandra Lee Jensen, Michael Jensen’s mother, testified earlier in the case that the incident was not the only reason they had kicked him out. She said it was the “accumulation” of his behavior and a “line was crossed.”
Chris Jensen said Tuesday that they kicked their son out due to years of “all kinds of stuff” and this incident was “the last straw, so to speak.”
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