A Las Vegas school counselor arrested this week on accusations that he pushed his first wife to her death nearly 20 years ago at Angels Landing in Zion National Park has been placed on leave from the school, officials said Wednesday.
Prosecutors in Washington County, Utah on Tuesday announced the arrest of Las Vegas resident David Vander Meer, who was listed as a counselor for Somerset Academy Lone Mountain. A spokesperson for the public charter school said in an email that administrators were aware of Vander Meer’s arrest but would not comment further.
“The school is aware of the reports, and the employee has been placed on administrative leave,” the spokespersons aid. “We are not providing interviews or additional comments regarding this ongoing legal matter.”
An arrest warrant affidavit released Tuesday said David Vander Meer, a former youth group pastor, killed Bernadette Vander Meer to conceal an extramarital affair with a girl from his youth group ministry, whom he groomed and eventually married. Vander Meer, now 49, also collected $567,000 in life insurance after his first wife’s death, according to the affidavit.
Bernadette Vander Meer’s death was initially ruled an accident, but investigators felt the circumstances were suspicious, according to Jessica Bate, a Washington County attorney’s office investigator who prepared the affidavit.
Authorities reopened the case in 2022 after receiving a tip from a former youth group member that David Vander Meer used his position to groom children, the affidavit said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
