LOGAN — An 18-year-old Smithfield man has been arrested for allegedly trying to bribe an 11-year-old girl to have sex with him, according to law enforcement. Matthew Yi-De Harvey was booked Thursday into the Cache County Jail.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Cache County Sheriff’s deputies received a call from a male individual on Dec. 4, claiming Harvey was chatting with his little sister on Snapchat. The complainant alleged that the suspect had offered to pay the young girl $50 to have sex with him.
Harvey had initially told the alleged victim that he was a freshman. He also allegedly asked her if she had any friends who would also be interested in being paid to have sex.
The chats had occurred between November and December. At one point, the alleged victim had disclosed her age and asked if that was okay? Harvey allegedly replied that “if she was okay with it, he was okay with it,” court papers detailed.
Deputies were able to obtain a warrant and trace the Snapchat account. It was registered to an email address in Harvey’s name. An IP address was also tracked to his Smithfield residence.
Investigators found additional chats with other females, where Harvey would lie about his age depending on how old the recipient was. They also located numerous images of pornography.
On Jan. 9, Harvey was arrested and questioned by law enforcement. He initially lied to deputies about having a Snapchat account or messaging the young girl. Later, he stated it was a joke, when shown the account was registered to his email address, according to the arrest affidavit.
Harvey was arraigned Jan. 10 during a virtual hearing in Logan’s 1st District Court, appearing by web conference from jail. He was charged with human trafficking and criminal solicitation of a minor, both first-degree felonies; and enticing a minor, a second-degree felony.
Judge Spencer Walsh ordered Harvey to remain in jail without bail while attorneys gather evidence in the case. He scheduled the suspect to appear before a judge in person on Monday.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.