LOGAN — A 32-year-old Logan man has been sentenced to three months in jail for sexting with an undercover officer, posing as a teenage girl a year ago. James Christoff Vaterlaus said he had made “huge error in judgment” that had resulted in him losing two jobs and his family.
Vaterlaus was sentenced Wednesday, Aug. 14, in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously pleaded guilty to enticing a minor, a second-degree felony.
According to prosecutors, Vaterlaus began messaging an officer at the Logan City Police Department on June 28, 2023. The undercover officer was using an online mobile chat app, identifying themselves as a 13-year-old girl.
As the chats continued, Vaterlaus arranged to meet the officer for sex. He also described various illegal acts he wanted to engage in with the officer.
Police report, Vaterlaus did not appear for the first arranged meeting but continued to message the officer. He also created several other user accounts to continue messaging and requesting to meet. Later, he failed to appear for a second planned meeting.
Police tracked Vaterlaus to his place of employment and arrested him. As officers explained they were taking him into custody, Vaterlaus spontaneously said he never met up with any girl. He was also seen by officers, deleting the chat app off his phone before being placed into handcuffs.
During questioning, Vaterlaus admitted to deleting the app and chatting with the undercover officer. He also consented to allow police to search his phone, where they verified that the app had been deleted.
At Wednesday’s sentencing, defense attorney Cara Tangaro asked the court for a shorter sentence or home confinement. She said her client was remorseful for what he did and has sought out sex offender therapy.
Vaterlaus said he felt shame, guilt and sorrow for his actions. He expressed hope that he could learn from his mistake.
Judge Brian Cannell said he appreciated Vaterlaus’ efforts to change. He ordered the defendant to serve 90 days in jail, giving credit for one day previously served. He also prohibited him from having unsupervised access to the internet.