LOGAN — A 43-year-old man has admitted to using artificial intelligence to produce a pornographic photo of a teenage girl. Randall Arthur Canavan was originally arrested in October 2024 following an investigation by the Logan City Police Department.
According to court records, Canavan appeared July 7 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, criminal solicitation of a minor and distribution of a controlled substance, all second-degree felonies.
In exchange for Canavan’s guilty pleas, attorneys agreed not to ask for a prison sentence. Two remaining charges were also dismissed.
According to prosecutors, police officers were contacted in September 2024 by the victim’s mother. She said Canavan had used a photo of her daughter when she was 13 and edited it onto a nude female body.
The mother also reported Canavan had given the now 17-year-old girl THC vapes several times.
Police obtained a warrant to search Canavan’s Google account. They located the deepfake image of the victim. Officers also found the original picture used to make the pornographic photo.
Law enforcement spoke to the victim during the investigation. She recognized the original picture and described how Canavan had also reportedly given her THC vape cartridges on multiple occasions.
Canavan is currently out of jail. He is scheduled to be sentenced August 25.