HERRIMAN, Utah, April 3, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A convicted sex offender from Lindon has been arrested for enticing a minor by Internet or text, a third-degree felony.
A probable cause statement from the Third District Court of Salt Lake County said Phillip Joseph Reed, 33, was arrested Sunday and transported to the Salt Lake County Jail, where his bail has been set at $15,000.
The arresting officer wrote in the probable cause statement that he observed a green Jeep Cherokee in the area of South Juniper Bend Drive in Herriman.
“The vehicle was parked in a dark parking area, on a new street in a subdivision under construction,” the statement said. “I observed the vehicle appeared unoccupied with no driver or passenger.”
Upon illuminating the vehicle with a spotlight, a juvenile quickly exited the rear passenger side of the vehicle and hurriedly entered the front passenger seat, the statement said. The vehicle began backing towards the police vehicle until overhead emergency lighting was activated by the officer.
“Upon my approach to the vehicle, I noted the windows were thick with condensation on the interior, the rear portion of the Jeep had been fashioned in to a sort of bed and there were two male occupants who were not wearing shoes,” the statement went on.
“The rear of the vehicle contained a sheet spread out, pillows, blankets and various items of clothing were strewn about.”
Personal information was gathered for the occupants. A records check verified the identity of the driver, Reed, and his status as a registered sex offender listed on the National Crime Information Center. The Jeep is also linked to Reed’s sex offender registry on NCIC.
The juvenile was identified as a 15 year old from Herriman. The statements of the two indicated “they were in some sort of relationship and the circumstances had all the appearances of intimate activity occurring in the vehicle as I arrived,” the statement from the arresting officer said. It was also noted that the 15 year old has the obvious appearance of a juvenile.
Reed and the juvenile were then detained for further investigation based on the circumstances at hand, the probable cause statement said. Reed was then transported to the Herriman Police Department to meet with investigators.
Post Miranda warning, Reed admitted to a detective that he had met the juvenile on the Internet app Grindr.
Police said Reed also admitted that on March 31, the day of the arrest, he and the juvenile agreed to meet at a location near the juvenile’s residence in Herriman City.
