LOGAN — A 37-year-old Logan man was arrested Monday on multiple felony charges after authorities say he sent explicit images and videos of himself to a 16-year-old girl on Snapchat.
Jorge Alberto Cruz was taken into custody Aug. 31, and booked into the Cache County Jail on four counts of distributing material harmful to a minor, one count of enticing a minor and one count of providing false information to a peace officer, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The investigation began after the girl’s mother found conversations on her daughter’s phone in which an adult man had sent pictures of their genitals. Detectives examined the phone with the mother’s consent and reviewed a Snapchat account under the username “a_wences23.”
In chats with the victim, the account user was told the girl was 16 years old on March 12. In April, the account sent several inappropriate pictures and messages. Additional photos and a video of the sender were also sent, the affidavit states.
A search warrant for the Snapchat account returned subscriber information identifying the user as Jonathan Wences. Detectives located the man at a local address, stopped a vehicle in which he was a passenger for speeding and confirmed his identity. After being advised of his Miranda rights, the man reportedly admitted the Snapchat account was his, and that he knew the alleged victim was 16 when he had sent the images, videos and messages.
During the booking process, fingerprints revealed the man’s true identity as Jorge Alberto Cruz. A subsequent phone call from his girlfriend to the jail, in which she asked for Jorge Cruz and was told only Jonathan Wences was listed, further confirmed he had used a false name and date of birth.
The affidavit notes that deputies suspect Cruz to be in the country illegally and is considered a flight risk.
Cruz made an initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in Logan’s 1st District Court. He was ordered to remain in jail and appear again in court Sept. 9, when a judge will determine whether or not to grant bail in the case.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.