Carl Matthew Johnson, 77, of Orem, was booked into the Davis County Jail in Farmington on Wednesday evening, suspected on seven counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The alleged abuse involved three female children, occurring respectively in 1993, 1996 and 1985, according to a Davis County Sheriff’s Office probable cause statement. The alleged abuse occurred while Johnson lived in Davis County.

Johnson, who also is a former bishop in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was in a position of trust over the children, the arrest affidavit said. The victims, now adults, told investigators that Johnson told them to keep quiet. “Johnson used his position of trust to influence any disclosures,” the affidavit said. “In some cases these crimes were suppressed in one way or another by Johnson when any disclosures were made.”

Detectives are investigating several more cases, with victims 2 to 12 years old, the sheriff’s office said Thursday in a news release.

According to the charging documents, Johnson allegedly touched the girls’ genitalia and breasts on repeated occasions. In the police interview Wednesday, “Johnson admitted that he has a problem of controlling his sexual urges and has struggled with this problem for most of his life,” the arrest affidavit said.

“Today, we are thinking about the victims who bravely came forward and shared their stories,” Sheriff’s Capt. Taylor West said in a prepared statement. “Without their willingness to recount the abuse they suffered, others may have continued to be victimized by Johnson.”

Formal charges had not been filed by Thursday afternoon. Johnson was ordered held without bail.