He was convicted of rape and abuse. The judge says he’s an ‘extraordinary, good man.’

While sentencing a former Mormon bishop to jail, possibly for life, a judge in Utah called the man convicted of rape and sexual abuse an “extraordinary, good man” who did something wrong.

According to local media accounts, Judge Thomas Low became emotional, choking up and taking long pauses, as he announced Wednesday that Keith Robert Vallejo will serve a minimum of 15 years on 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse and one count of object rape.

"The court has no doubt that Mr. Vallejo is an extraordinary, good man," Low said. "But great men sometimes do bad things."

Low’s comments were made as one of Vallejo's victims sat in court. Julia Kirby said she was shocked by the judge's sympathy, per KUTV.

“For him to say that in a court room in front the victim who was abused and raped by this man, that he is a great person, to me was unacceptable and unprofessional,” Kirby said.

Vallejo served in a leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Provo, Utah, where more than 90 percent of the population is Mormon and Brigham Young University is located.

One of the victims, Vallejo’s sister-in-law, told the court she attended BYU and was 19 when she stayed with Vallejo, who groped her multiple times, according to the Associated Press. Another victim told police that Vallejo raped and groped her “several times per week” while she slept on his couch when she was 17, according to the Provo Daily Herald.

Vallejo was removed as bishop after the allegations came to light, per the Salt Lake Tribune.

It is not clear if Low had a prior relationship with Vallejo or is Mormon. However, he did attend BYU, according to his court biography. According to BYU’s registrar’s office, there is no record of Vallejo attending the university.

But this is not the first time Low’s decision-making with regards to Vallejo has been criticized. After a jury convicted Vallejo on all 11 counts in February, Low decided to allow Vallejo to walk out of the courtroom a free man, per the Salt Lake Tribune. While state law requires convicted felons be kept in custody until sentencing, it allows exceptions in cases where the judge feels there is “clear and convincing evidence” that the defendant will not flee and is not a danger to the community.

Citing Vallejo’s large family, cash bail and roots in the community, Low ruled he could be allowed out of jail, despite objections from the state prosecutor.

Low also said that because Vallejo’s two victims lived outside the state, he did not present a danger. But Kirby told the Salt Lake Tribune at the time that she was afraid to visit her family in Provo and that she also feared for Vallejo’s family, which includes several young daughters.

“We didn't know what he's capable of doing,” she told the Tribune. “He's still going to be living at home with his eight kids. ... He could still be out walking around with no consequences.”

Low did not immediately return a request for comment. In 2014, the Utah Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission voted unanimously to retain Low, who was initially appointed to his post in 2009. In the commission’s report, Low was given a score of 4.2 on a scale from 1 to 5 for his ability to not let his “personal life or beliefs ... impair” his performance as a judge.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 4:50 PM with the headline "He was convicted of rape and abuse. The judge says he’s an ‘extraordinary, good man.’."