No charges for church member

Due to a lack of evidence, criminal investigators are not filing charges against a Newport Beach Mormon church member accused of molesting a boy in the congregation, according to prosecutors.

Newport Beach and Costa Mesa police investigated Todd C. Summers, 37, of Costa Mesa, for accusations that he had carried on a sexual relationship with a boy in the church. Newport Beach police determined that any potential crimes occurred in Costa Mesa, Sgt. Evan Sailor said. Costa Mesa detectives investigated the claims and turned over their findings to prosecutors, who declined to file charges.

Summers, a former Sheriff’s Department reserve officer, was also investigated by the department on allegations that he used his authority to enter a young boy’s home, he said in a deposition. Charges were not filed in that case. Summers and the department severed ties last year, said department spokesman Jim Amormino.

It’s all simply a case of stonewalling authorities, according to Vince Finaldi, the attorney representing the plaintiff in a civil suit against Summers. Finaldi’s client is accusing Summers of molesting him for nearly a decade, starting when the boy was 11 or 12 years old. The plaintiff, referred to in the lawsuit as John Doe, is seven years younger than Summers.

Summers was never charged because he refused to cooperate with Costa Mesa detectives and the Mormon church hid behind its lawyers, hindering any investigation, Finaldi said.

Summers’ lawyer did not return calls for comment.

The plaintiff sued Summers, his parents and leaders of the Mormon church in April 2008. While Summers is the only one accused of carrying on the improper relationship, the man maintains that Summers’ parents and church leaders enabled the relationship to continue.

Summers runs TCS Video in Costa Mesa, a videography company that lists many organizations, including the Boy Scouts of America and the school district as its client.

Robert Crockett, attorney for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, said no one had ever complained about Summers before his accuser came forward in 2007. Church leaders never noticed anything inappropriate about Summers’ behavior.