SPANISH FORK, Utah — A teenage boy was arrested Tuesday morning for kidnapping, vehicle theft and various other charges after a traffic stop in Spanish Fork.
Around 5 a.m., a Utah County Sheriff's Office lieutenant was patrolling Main Street near Arrowhead Trail when he saw an unusual-looking car. It was parked outside a business that was not open, had its headlights on, and was "askew to any parking stall," a press release from the sheriff's office stated.
The lieutenant turned around to go check on the car and its occupants, but then saw the car immediately speed off in the other direction. He pulled the driver over and spoke to the two people inside.
After giving conflicting information on their ages, the lieutenant eventually learned that the driver was a 17-year-old boy from Salt Lake County, and the passenger was a 12-year-old girl from Utah County.
The lieutenant said he learned that the two met on social media and had been chatting there for a couple of months. Earlier that morning, the boy went to the girl's house and picked her up. They drove around and stopped in different locations before stopping in the area where the lieutenant saw them.
Police said the boy sexually assaulted the girl at the most recent stop, and she had tried to resist.
They also learned that the car he was driving was stolen earlier that morning from a Salt Lake County home.
The 12-year-old's parents came and picked her up. The 17-year-old, whose name was not released as he is a minor, was booked in a juvenile detention center on charges of:
- Child kidnapping (first-degree felony)
- Vehicle theft (second-degree felony)
- Obstruction of justice (second-degree felony)
- False personal information (class-A misdemeanor)
- No driver's license (infraction)
- No insurance (infraction)
The sheriff's office said the Spanish Fork Police Department is investigating the alleged sexual assault.
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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.
