LOGAN — A 24-year-old Logan man and instructor at Utah State University has been arrested for allegedly sharing child pornography over the internet. Jack M. Flint was booked Wednesday afternoon into the Cache County Jail, where he is temporarily being held without bail pending formal charges.
According to an arrest report, on Sept. 16, Logan City police officers began investigating Flint after receiving a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. It described how the suspect allegedly used an internet site in which anonymous video and text chats can occur.
The tip outlined a chat message apparently sent by Flint to another user. In it, he claimed to be a 17-year-old boy and invited the other individual to join a 14 to 18-year-old Snapchat group by sending a picture of his genitals.
Police claimed the group was used by the suspect to exchange multiple images and videos of teenage boys. Chat logs of the user account “showed many individuals identifying themselves as under the age of 18 and sending pornographic photos” to Flint, according to the report.
Four images or videos of male genitals were also found under the user account, in which the sender explicitly identified their age as a minor. There were also multiple other instances of other users introducing themselves as minors but no images or videos were provided.
The chat log IP address and Snapchat account were traced to Flint’s home near 250 Eastridge Lane.
On Wednesday, Flint was contacted by police and questioned. He allegedly admitted to being the sole owner of the Snapchat user account. He described how he would pose as a minor to obtain pornographic images and videos of minor boys.
Officers obtained a search warrant and seized Flint’s cellphone as evidence. On it they located a pornographic video of a 12 to 16-year-old boy.
Jail records show, Flint was booked on five counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. He will likely be arraigned in 1st District Court Friday morning.
Flint is an employment specialist and instructor in the USU EmployAbility Clinic at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice (IDRPP). They provide employment and pre-employment services to people with disabilities. He has been employed since July 2021.
USU spokesperson Amanda DeRito said the university was aware of Flint’s arrest. He has been instructed to not return to his worksite at USU or visit any job sites.
She stated, “The safety of USU students, employees, and the public we serve is our top priority, and the university and IDRPP will cooperate with the investigation. IDRPP’s standard practice when working in schools with individuals who are under the age of 18 is to work in tandem, where individuals are not left alone with students.”
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
will@cvradio.com