DAVIS COUNTY, Utah — Police say they have arrested a man for sexually assaulting a Utah girl on the campus of her junior high school, and for exchanging nude images with another teenage girl.
Samuel Shermen Cryder, age 18, faces 15 felony-level charges, nearly all of which are sex offenses.
A 14-year-old girl contacted police earlier this week and told them that Cryder — who resides at the Lantern House Shelter in Ogden — had gone to her school in Davis County twice and touched her inappropriately. The two had reportedly communicated previously via text messages and social media.
READ: Experts say online predators becoming more aggressive
According to court documents, Cryder met the girl in person for the first time on April 20 during the school's lunch hour. The girl said Cryder touched her against her will, both over and under her clothing, and wouldn't let her leave despite her resisting. Her account was corroborated by footage from the school's surveillance cameras, which show that this went on for about 30 minutes. At that point, the girl tried to leave when the lunch period ended. But Cryder held onto her and told her to not go to class, then continued to assault her for about an hour more, according to police.
After this, she reportedly texted Cryder and told him she had boundaries, to which he apologized and said he wouldn't assault her if they met up again.
Cryder returned the next day, just after school ended. The girl said he again touched her without her consent, but this time held her wrists so forcefully that they had visible red marks the whole rest of the day.
"He wouldn't let me leave," she told police, according to the report. "I felt I couldn't be saved."
She was eventually able to get away. Police say he texted her and attempted to "entice" her to meet up again, but she did not want to because she was scared.
Cryder was taken into police custody on Thursday, and the report says he admitted to performing forceful sexual acts on the girl. He said he knew she was "no older than 15 years old." He also admitted to holding her wrists to prevent her from leaving, as well as taking her phone from her so she couldn't text anyone.
Police said while the alleged assaults did not occur in the school building, they were on school property. Cryder turns 19 years old soon and is not a student at the school.
Cryder also told police in the interview that he communicated electronically with a different 14-year-old girl — telling her over FaceTime to perform sexual acts, sending photos of his private parts, and coercing her to send him nude photos of herself. He consented to a search of his phone, which police say turned up several nude images of "victim 2."
He was booked into jail Thursday and is being held without bail on the following charges, all of which are felonies:
- Forcible sexual abuse (2 counts)
- Enticement of a minor by internet or text (3 counts)
- Aggravated kidnapping
- Dealing in materials harmful to a minor
- Sexual exploitation of a minor (8 counts)
Earlier this month, Cryder pleaded guilty to one count each of theft and drug possession. He was scheduled to be sentenced in late May.
The Davis County Sheriff's Office issued the following statement:
"In conjunction with our victim’s services program, the Davis County Sheriff's Office is committed to providing support during, and information about, the criminal justice process to victims of sexual assault. If you have additional information on Cryder or his other victims, please contact Davis Dispatch at 801-451-4150 and reference case number D22-4210."
__________
If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual abuse, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or the online chat hotline at rainn.org/resources. In an emergency situation, call 911 immediately.
