Former Copperas Cove bishop arrested in Texas, Utah abuse cases
A former Copperas Cove bishop was jailed in Utah after a separate Texas arrest, with court records tying Bryan Randall Brown to cases in both states.
Bryan Randall Brown, a former Copperas Cove-area bishop and earlier Mormon stake president in Corpus Christi, now faces child-sex abuse allegations in Texas and Utah. The cases have unfolded across two states within months, drawing new scrutiny to his church roles and to what, if anything, was visible locally before the arrests.
Lampasas County criminal-docket records show Brown was arrested Jan. 20, 2026, on a charge of indecency with a child-sexual contact. The docket also lists an arraignment setting for Feb. 27, 2026. A later public docket tied Brown to an address in Kempner, Texas, and court and media reporting identified him as a 53-year-old man from Texas. Floodlit’s case notes say Brown was serving as an active bishop in the Copperas Cove area when he was arrested, and that he was released from that bishop position on Feb. 10, 2026.
The Utah case became public after Brown was arrested April 9, 2026, at Salt Lake City Airport after returning to the state for a grandchild’s blessing, ABC4 Utah reported. In that case, he was charged with one count of object rape of a child and one count of sexual abuse of a child. ABC4 Utah also reported that he was being held without bail in Salt Lake County Jail. Floodlit says investigators alleged the Utah abuse occurred sometime between 2020 and 2023 and involved two alleged victims.
For Copperas Cove, the timeline matters because Brown’s church position placed him in a trusted local role while the Texas case was moving through county court. The City of Copperas Cove says its daily police bulletin is only a summary, is subject to change as investigations continue, and is not a complete case record, a reminder that local public notices may not capture the full scope of a developing abuse investigation.
Anyone in Coryell County with information should contact the Copperas Cove Police Department or their local law-enforcement agency. Residents who need immediate help should call 911; anyone seeking support after a sexual-abuse allegation can also turn to local victim-assistance services and emergency medical providers.
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