LOGAN — A 22-year-old Logan man has been sentenced to jail and probation for downloading child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and exposing himself to a young child in two separate cases. Wyatt James Anderson was originally arrested last fall after police discovered the illegal material on his phone.
Anderson was sentenced Monday in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to three amended counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony, and lewdness involving a child, a class A misdemeanor.
According to prosecutors, the investigation began on Sept. 26 when a Logan City police officer served a search warrant to extract the contents from Anderson’s phone. A video file was found showing the defendant wearing only an apron and exposing himself to a toddler. It was later verified that the file had been uploaded to a pornographic website. Police subsequently located 20 more files of child sexual abuse material on the device.
On Oct. 4, officers responded to Anderson’s apartment to arrest him. When advised of the charges, Anderson cut himself with a pair of scissors in an attempt to end his life. Officers quickly applied pressure to the wound and called for an ambulance.
While waiting for paramedics, Anderson started discussing the files, telling police the images were stored in the “locked folder” of his Google Photos. He admitted to using Reddit and other websites to view pornography.
During Monday’s sentencing, Anderson explained that the time he had spent in jail had helped him realize what he did. “I failed myself, family, and the community,” he said.
Judge Spencer Walsh told Anderson that if it hadn’t been for the plea deal that was agreed to by the toddler’s mother, he would be imposing a prison sentence. He told the defendant he needs serious help to correct “disturbing behavior.”
Anderson was ordered to serve 364 days in jail, with credit for 179 days previously served, followed by four years of probation. He was also prohibited from having any contact with children, banned from accessing the internet, and ordered to register as a sex offender.