LOGAN — A 37-year-old Logan man faces more than a dozen felony charges after police say he engaged in a months-long sexual relationship with a 16-year-old girl he met at church, including repeated sexual abuse and attempts to obtain child sexual abuse material.
Angel Manuel Mendoza-Diaz was arrested Tuesday after the alleged victim’s mother, reported in March that her daughter had been in a relationship with Mendoza-Diaz, then 36. He allegedly picked her up from a local high school for lunch multiple times.
During a forensic interview at the Children’s Justice Center, the teen described how the relationship escalated after they connected on Facebook in 2025. They communicated daily via WhatsApp, where Mendoza-Diaz helped her set a password to hide messages. He first kissed her at church in Logan around October 2025.
The alleged victim told interviewers the pair would “make out” in the backseat of his car during lunch outings from September 2025 to February 2026. She said Mendoza-Diaz inappropriately touched her on multiple occasions. She reported pushing his hands away and telling him to stop. On one occasion in the car, she said he forced her hand to touch him improperly.
Mendoza-Diaz admitted to making out with the young girl. He also acknowledged asking for nude photos multiple times but said she never sent any. The girl said he repeatedly requested nude pictures and told her he wanted to get her pregnant once she turned 18.
The girl also described controlling behavior, including telling her not to attend school dances or text her ex-boyfriend. Mendoza-Diaz told investigators he picked her up from school four or five times and they stayed nearby.
Messages provided by the mother and obtained via search warrant corroborated the communications. The suspect was identified through vehicle records, his driver’s license and church photos.
Mendoza-Diaz made an initial appearance Wednesday in Logan’s 1st District Court. He was charged with eight counts of forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor, all second-degree felonies, four counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony, and two Class A misdemeanors for unlawful kissing a minor.
Judge Brian Cannell ordered Mendoza-Diaz to remain in jail without bail after prosecutors reported the suspect is not a US citizen and poses a threat to the alleged victim. He ordered him to appear again in court Aug. 3.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.