Jorge A. Cruz (Courtesy: Facebook)
LOGAN — Sky View High School’s soccer coach has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested for allegedly chatting with an undercover police officer, posing as a 13-year-old girl. Jorge Alejandro Cruz, a 48-year-old Logan man, was booked Wednesday into the Cache County Jail, where he is temporarily being held, pending arraignment on criminal charges.
According to an arrest report, Cruz messaged the undercover officer on a popular mobile app in December. He originally claimed he was a 15-year-old boy and began asking graphic questions about the girl’s body.
During the months that followed, Cruz reportedly shared several inappropriate photos and videos of himself with the officer. He also asked numerous times for naked photos to be sent to him.
The chats were allegedly started by Cruz each time and continued to become more graphic, as he described details of what he wanted to do with the officer. He later asked to meet up on Feb. 8 and 9 but never showed up.
Police obtained a search warrant and later traced the user account to an email address, registered to Cruz’s name and birth date. They also learned that he was involved with multiple youth soccer teams, including Sky View’s.
Cruz was questioned by police Wednesday morning at the police department. He acknowledged to using the messaging app previously but denied exchanging explicit materials with any underage girl. As police read some of the chats though, he said they “rang a bell” but claimed he was not interested in minors, the report stated.
According to jail records, Cruz was booked on two counts of enticing a minor, a second-degree felony; and five counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a third-degree felony.
Cache County School District spokesperson Tim Smith said Cruz was immediately placed on administrative leave Wednesday after school officials learned about the allegations. There hasn’t been any reports of inappropriate behavior with players but administrators will be conducting their own investigation.
Cruz is reportedly in his fifth year as head coach of the Sky View Bobcats. He led the team to a 4A State Championship in 2019.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
will@cvradio.com