PERRY, Utah — An employee with the Davis School District has been arrested for allegedly possessing and sharing child porn with an undercover officer during an investigation.
Chase Steven Hutchings, 29, now faces 30 charges of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor.
Arrest documents show an investigation into Hutchings began in December when an undercover investigator with the Utah Attorney General's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force saw a social media post from someone with the username "HiThereUT" asking people if they wanted to have "dirty" chat.
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Detectives contacted the poster of the message and started communicating through the encrypted messaging application. From Dec. 10 to Jan. 2, Hutchings allegedly sent detectives 144 files of child sexual abuse material.
After confirming the account, the investigator set up a meeting on Wednesday where Hutchings admitted to possessing and sending child sexual abuse material. Detectives add that Hutchings also admitted to having a sexual interest in children, though he claimed to have deleted the material and messaging app.
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"I urge the Judge to consider this as an aggravating factor, considering potential access to children and schools, specifically sensitive area's of schools," the investigator wrote. "Chase admitted to having a sexual interest in children, and told me his wife is pregnant, and babysits other's children."
Hutchings is currently being held without bail.
"The Davis School District has a shared mission with law enforcement to protect students," the district said in a statement. "Mr. Hutchings was employed in a position that didn’t have direct access to students. He is currently on unpaid suspension and is in the process of being terminated."
