LOGAN — A 42-year-old West Valley City man is headed to prison after admitting 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 expressed remorse for the hurt he caused to the victim and others, while defense attorneys asked for him to be released after serving more than two years in jail.
Harris was sentenced Monday in Logan’s First District Court. He previously 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.
According to prosecutors, the victim’s family contacted North Park police officers on Dec. 12, 2023. They reported their daughter was missing and had last been 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 him 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 in which 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.
During Monday’s sentencing, the victim’s parents spoke of how their daughter was groomed by Harris. They asked the court to give the defendant the longest sentence possible so other families don’t have to go through what they did.
Harris said he was deeply sorry for the pain his actions had caused. He explained how his web of lies had hurt not only the victim and her family, but his own family as well.
Judge Spencer Walsh ordered Harris to serve three consecutive terms of zero to five years in prison, giving credit for time served. Walsh noted the term was the maximum length he could impose under the law and hoped it would send a significant message to deter people from preying on children.