Pediatric dentist jailed for sexually abusing high school intern in Utah, police say

OREM, Utah (ABC4) — An Orem dentist is behind bars for allegedly manipulating and sexually abusing a high school student who was working as his intern.

Robert Bruce Howell of Pleasant Grove has been arrested for object rape, a first-degree felony, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. He has yet to be formally charged.

According to the arrest statement, the Orem Police Department was contacted in November 2025 regarding a sexual assault that occurred the year prior. The victim reported that while she was in high school, she worked as an intern at a local business.

Between January and May 2024, the victim worked at Orem Pediatric Dentistry under Dr. Robert Howell.

Shortly after she began the internship, the victim reported, Howell began texting her. The messages soon turned personal, and he would provide religious and life advice “outside the scope of professional and student” conduct.

Two weeks in, Howell reportedly provided care to the victim for a cold, prescribing her medication and providing medical advice. After she recovered, documents say he provided her with “significant dental services” with the understanding that she would work to pay them off.

“Over the next several months, Dr. Howell and the victim exchanged over a thousand text messages discussing personal and religious matters. This also included known phone calls where the two would read scriptures together,” the arrest statement reads.

The victim told Howell that she was an athlete at her high school, and he provided hundreds of dollars’ worth of equipment to her. Before the athletic season started, he told the victim he would perform her required medical pre-participation form.

During this medical examination at his dentist’s office, Howell allegedly performed a breast and vaginal exam, during which he assaulted the victim in a non-medical manner.

The Orem Police Department began investigating the incident and completed a forensic download of the victim’s phone. 3,622 messages between Howell and the victim were located, and many of them were deemed “highly manipulative toward the victim.”

In some of the messages, Howell requested photos of the victim in clothes he had purchased for her, and would sometimes reply that she was wearing “too many clothes and to resend new photographs with specific clothing.”

Detectives spoke with Howell on June 24, 2026, about the victim. He reportedly admitted to knowing her as a high school student whom he supervised.

When asked about the inappropriate medical examination and the messages, Howell admitted to conducting the exam, including a breast and vaginal check. He said that the only other medical check he performed was on the victim’s blood pressure and heart, and he did not complete the actual orthopedic and musculoskeletal examination.

The detectives told Howell that the examination “fell outside” of the abilities of his professional license and did not require a breast or vaginal exam.

Howell was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail, where he is being held without bail because detectives believe he is a “danger to society due to his position as a pediatric dentist” with access to “individuals in a vulnerable state.”

The arrest statement also notes that detectives believe there may be additional victims, as the victim indicated other female employees left under “concerning” circumstances.