LOGAN — A 34-year-old Price man has been charged with multiple felonies after police alleged he was sexting with an undercover officer in Logan.
Richard R. Aldaba was arraigned during a virtual hearing in 1st District Court Wednesday morning, appearing by web conference from the Utah State Prison, where he is currently serving a sentence in an unrelated crime. He was charged with six counts of enticing a minor by internet or text, four second-degree felonies and two third-degree felonies.
According to an arrest warrant, on Mar. 16, Aldaba messaged the Logan City police officer on a social networking app called MocoSpace. The officer was posing as a 12-year-old girl.
As the messaging continued, Aldaba allegedly asked the officer for their phone number to exchange text messages. When the two began texting, the suspect allegedly began sending sexually explicit messages, describing what he wanted to do with the supposed girl. He also expressed an interest in meeting up in person.
The warrant stated that Aldaba continued to request a picture and asked the undercover officer to promise that they weren’t a cop. The messaging continued into the night but then stopped.
The officer later learned that Aldaba was arrested the next day and booked into the Carbon County Jail for violating his probation. He had previously been convicted of multiple drug crimes and was later sentenced to one-year in prison.
Prosecutors charged Aldaba based on the exchanged text messages. They noted how the suspect appeared to have tried to solicit, seduce, lure or entice the officer that he believed to be a minor, to engage in various illegal actions.
During Wednesday’s arraignment, Judge Brian Cannell read the charges against Aldaba and assigned him a public defender. He also ordered him to appear again in court Nov. 24.
Aldaba didn’t speak during the brief hearing, except for stating his name and date of birth. He could face up to 15 more years in prison if convicted.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
will@cvradio.com