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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who once compared himself to serial killer Ted Bundy has been charged with raping and sexually abusing young children after they were dropped off at his mother's baby-sitting business.
Theodore Joseph Heaps, 35, of Salt Lake City, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with two counts of rape of a child and three counts of sodomy on a child, all first-degree felonies.
Heaps was booked into Salt Lake County Jail Wednesday evening after a $500,000 warrant was issued for his arrest.
The alleged crimes happened between 1998 and 2001, according to charging documents. Heaps would have been in his late teens at the time.
One girl said she was "repeatedly raped" by Heaps beginning when she was 12, the charges state. A boy said he was 6 when Heaps began abusing him, according to charging documents. Both victims told police the abuse would happen after they were dropped off to be baby-sat by Heaps' mother, the charges state.
Heaps was interviewed by police in September. "He confessed to sexually abusing many children who were under the care of his mother's day care business," the charges state. "During the interview (Heaps) named numerous children by name whom he molested."
It was after interviewing Heaps that detectives tracked down a third alleged victim and interviewed him.
Heaps was convicted of kidnapping in 2007, and of felony child abuse in 2004, according to court records.
In 2009, Heaps was placed on probation for his kidnapping conviction. According to a progress report issued by Adult Probation and Parole in 2011, a therapist who treated Heaps appreciated his level of honesty but also noted his behavior was "very disturbing."
"He admitted at one time he had re-enacted the sexual abuse of his victims with his girlfriend. He also frequently compared himself to Ted Bundy," the report states.
Officials at the probation agency were split on whether Heaps was "being extraordinarily honest" or if he was going to be successful at treatment, a probation officer admitted in the report. The report ultimately recommended his probation be successfully terminated. Email: preavy@deseretnews.com Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam
