An American Fork man was arrested Thursday on allegations of sexually abusing a mentally handicapped woman at a Lindon care center.

Brigham M. Gunther, 28, was arrested by Lindon police after he came to them and confessed to the incidents. Police chief Cody Cullimore said Gunther confessed his actions to his bishop, who encouraged him to go to police.

"He was somewhat remorseful and was willing to tell us what was going on," Cullimore said.

Cullimore said the woman has a mental capacity of a child between two and six years old and is confined to a wheelchair. The abuse occurred while she was sleeping, but Cullimore said it would also not have been consensual had she been awake.

"There's no way she could have given consent," he said. "She is nonverbal."

According to a police affidavit, Gunther reported that he put his hand down the victim's pants on two separate occasions. He reportedly worked the late shift on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24 when the incidents occurred.

The woman is a resident at Lindon Care and Training Center, which provides services to people of all ages who have a wide range of disabilities. Cullimore said Gunther was arrested at the police station after an interview and booked into the Utah County Jail on two second-degree felony charges of forcible sexual abuse.

Cullimore said Gunther is no longer an employee at Lindon Care and Training Center, and officials at the center declined to comment on the case.

Although sexual abuse of disabled individuals is not common, Cullimore said the abuse is more widespread than it appears.

The population size of mentally handicapped people is somewhat small, so the percentage of abuse patients may be higher than some think. Cullimore said individuals who intend to sexually abuse others may also target a population they believe has less of an ability to report the abuse.

"That's just a sad, terrible thing," he said.