LOGAN — A 41-year-old West Valley City man has admitted to kidnapping a 17-year-old North Logan girl in 2023, with whom he was having a relationship, and taking her to Oregon. Christoffer Alan Harris was originally arrested and extradited back to Utah in 2024.
According to court records, Harris appeared Aug. 17 in Logan’s First District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of endangerment of a child, all third-degree felonies. As part of the agreement, 47 remaining charges were dismissed.
According to prosecutors, the victim’s family contacted North Park police officers on Dec. 12, 2023. They reported their daughter was missing and had been last seen the night before.
The family told police the victim had left without her cellphone or a change of clothes. Investigators learned that the girl had been communicating through a gaming device with someone identifying themselves as “Pepper #3994.”
With the help of FBI investigators, the username was tracked to Harris. Police were able to trace his cellphone to the Salt Lake City area until it was powered down.
Officers later found an email from Harris to a woman in Provo asking if she wanted to join Harris and the victim in sexual activity. The email was sent five days after the girl went missing.
Police later tracked Harris’ cellphone to a residence near Burns, Oregon. Investigators also found messages sent previously where Harris and the girl were making arrangements to run away together.
Officers contacted the Oregon State Police and requested assistance. Law enforcement went to the residence in Burns and witnessed a vehicle leaving the area where Harris’ phone had pinged. They initiated a traffic stop and found the North Logan girl and Harris inside the car. She was reunited with her family, and Harris was booked into jail on local charges.
According to booking records, Harris has been held in the Cache County Jail without bail for the past two years while the case proceeded through court. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 28.