Lehi City News
Vigilant parents and Lehi Police partner to apprehend suspect
Jennifer Thomas | Lehi Free Press
On Oct. 30, a 21-year-old male was arrested by Lehi Police after engaging in an inappropriate online conversation with a Lehi minor.
The Lehi Police Department was notified about the online conversation by the parents of the minor before the situation escalated. After the incident was reported, Lehi police investigated the crime and launched an online sting operation.
“An SVU/ICAC Investigator began an online conversation with the suspect, indicating that she was a 13-year-old child. The suspect and the investigator messaged back and forth until the suspect turned the conversation sexual. At that point, the suspect stated that he wanted to meet the 13-year-old child at a school in Lehi. His plan was to pick the child up, take her to a secluded location and engage in the sexual activities that he had described during their online conversations,” according to the Lehi Police Department Facebook post.
Lehi SVU/ICAC investigators apprehended the suspect before reaching the intended location of the offense. The suspect was booked into the Utah County Jail on crimes related to the investigation.
The Lehi Police stated the following, “While we have posted about numerous individuals traveling to Lehi to meet and engage in these types of activities, this case is one that we can credit the parents of the child with doing what it takes to protect their child from a predator that didn’t have to travel too far for the meeting.
“The Lehi City Police Department as a whole and the SVU/ICAC Team remain committed to the safety of all its residents, but we are especially proud to help, along with parents and other family members, protect the most valuable and vulnerable of our community.”
“Please have the hard conversations with your children about the dangers of online chatting and please make sure they know that it is never wise to meet these online individuals in person or alone. It doesn’t matter what site, if it has a chatting feature, rest assured, there are predators lurking and seeking to do harm,” concluded the Facebook post.
