SOUTH JORDAN, Utah -- A South Jordan man faces multiple felony charges after allegedly leaving a note on a car, offering to pay a 15-year-old $70,000 to have his baby.
Courtesy Salt Lake County Jail
Police arrested Steven Eric Graham, 28, on Wednesday. According to a declaration of probable cause released in 3rd District Court, on Sept. 7, as part of an investigation, officers learned that Graham was texting a concerned resident who was posing as a 15-year-old girl.
The declaration said that Graham agreed to meet with the resident, under the guise that he would be paying a teenage girl $70,000 for sex.
A few days previously Graham had allegedly left a note on a vehicle parked in front of a Riverton residence, saying he would give a teenage girl money to have a baby with him. Graham left his phone number on the note, according to the declaration.
The concerned resident was made aware of the note and became concerned for the risk Graham posed to young girls in the neighborhood. As a result, the resident decided to text Graham posing as a minor.
In the text conversation, the declaration said that Graham agreed to take care of the fake 15-year-old if she became pregnant. He made arrangements to meet up with the fake teen in a Mcdonalds in Herriman to discuss the proposal, police stated. Graham went to the Mcdonalds at the time and wore clothing that he had described in text messages.
Graham was located and subsequently interviewed by police, the declaration said. He allegedly admitted to leaving a note on the girl's car and went to the Mcdonald's with the intention to have sex with a minor.
Graham also admitted that he had made out with a 16-year-old girl he had met at work, police stated. He also allegedly admitted to possessing about seven images of child pornography, which officers were able to locate.
A warrant for Graham's arrest was issued Monday. He faces charges of three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony, one count of enticing a minor by internet or text, a second-degree felony and one count of sexual battery, a class-A misdemeanor.
