The October issues of the LDS Church's widely circulated Ensign and Liahona magazines contain an article written by a sex offender whose arrest and conviction came after the magazines' editors conducted background checks.

The story by Oleg Barabash describes how as a recent convert in Ukraine he distanced himself, then became active again in his new found faith. After serving a mission in England, Barabash attended Brigham Young University and worked at the LDS Church's Missionary Training Center.

Barabash, 27, was sentenced in August to 240 days in jail for two class A misdemeanors of lewdness involving a child. Four second-degree felony charges were dropped in exchange for the guilty plea of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy.

The Ensign and Liahona magazines are published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and read by millions of church members worldwide. A statement on the church's Web site said the October editions were special issues focusing on new converts.

A church spokesman issued the following statement in response to the Barabash article:

"The Ensign has a long-standing practice of conducting background checks on people whose articles and stories are published in the magazine. Editorial deadlines run at least six months in advance of publication, and background checks precede these deadlines. The background check on the author in question was conducted prior to his arrest. Ensign editors regret that this story was published after the status of the author had changed."