WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Feb. 9, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Court documents reveal more details in the case of a West Valley City man charged with allegedly kidnapping and assaulting a 14-year-old girl from Arizona.
Suspect Jordan Daniel Sorenson, 25, is facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; and rape, a first-degree felony, according to charging documents filed Tuesday.
Sorenson’s probable cause statement says West Valley City Police detectives were alerted on Jan. 31 to a missing teen who had “an ankle monitor that had been removed and her location was unknown.”
The child victim (CV) was observed in Arizona getting into a vehicle with a plate that linked it to a Sorenson family member at an address where Jordan Sorenson also resided.
Sorenson is a registered sex offender after a previous conviction for aggravated sexual extortion and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor in a Wyoming case, his probable cause statement says.
Adult Parole and Probation was contacted regarding the Arizona information. Agents and Task Force Officers with the Utah Attorney General’s Office were present at Sorenson’s residence while AP&P conducted a search allowed by the terms of Sorenson’s probation.
“CV was located in Sorenson’s basement. CV was interviewed pursuant to CJC standards. During that interview CV disclosed the following:
“Sorenson found CV on social media and began commenting on her TikTok. Her TikTok account also has a link to her SnapChat account. Sorenson contacted CV on SnapChat. Sorenson knew CV was a minor and that CV had a GPS ankle monitor.”
Sorenson got the child victim’s Arizona address when she asked on social media if anyone wanted to send her food on a delivery app, the statement says.
“Sorenson said he was going to come see CV in Arizona and take her away. CV did not expect Sorenson to come and take her away,” the statement says.
The suspect drove to Arizona on or about Jan. 27, met with the girl, and “used scissors to remove CV’s ankle monitor. CV had agreed to sneak out to meet Sorenson, but did not plan to leave with him,” says the statement, adding that the child victim “did not want Sorenson to remove her ankle monitor.
“Sorenson made CV promise to not leave him or stop talking to him or else ‘bad things’ would happen. CV did not feel safe with Sorenson.”
Sorenson allegedly drove them to a Motel 6 in Arizona. When the child victim’s family sent text messages asking where she was, Sorenson put the child’s phone on airplane mode so the location could not be tracked, court documents say.
Sorenson stopped in Las Vegas to buy the child victim a new phone and clothes, since she had not expected to leave and brought nothing with her, the affidavit says.
Sorenson returned to his home after advising the child victim to lie about her age to his roommate and to stay in his room.
“CV did not leave because she thought Sorenson could track her using the phone.”
During the search, officers recovered receipts for purchased clothing and a Motel 6 receipt in Sorenson’s name.
A records check shows Sorenson is currently in custody at the Utah State Prison.
