This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A homeless man has pleaded guilty to stalking the president of the LDS Church.
Benjamin Tucker Staples, 36, pleaded no contest Monday in 3rd District Court to the class A misdemeanor charge.
Staples was accused of making five visits to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' offices in downtown Salt Lake City and asking to speak with church President Thomas S. Monson.
As part of his sentence, Staples will not be allowed within 1,000 feet of the church's downtown office building, the president or his home. Staples will also have to undergo a mental health evaluation.
Staples' attorney has said the man never posed a threat to Monson or other employees and left the Church Office Building each time he was asked to do so.
According to court documents, Staples, who goes by the alias "Jesus Christ," told officials he would continue returning to the building until he could speak with Monson.
Judge Randall Skanchy ordered Staples to serve jail time, but gave him credit for 67 days already served.