DUCHESNE, Utah, Dec. 13, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — A Duchesne man, who is a registered sex offender, has been arrested after he allegedly attempted to meet up with someone he believed to be a 17-year-old girl.
The man, Richard Eugene Rasmussen, was actually communicating with a detective at the Duchesne County Sheriff‘s Office, says a news release issued Friday by the department.
Rasmussen, 26, is on probation through the Utah Department of Corrections Adult Probation and Parole and was under court order to not access the internet.
“The suspect had been found to be using several social media platforms in violation of his registry status,” the DCSO statement says.
Posing as a juvenile female, the officer messaging with Rasmussen chatted on the Meet Me social media platform before Rasmussen asked to meet and “began asking very sexual and direct questions,” and sent explicit photos of himself, the release says.
The undercover agent, still impersonating the minor, talked about needing to go to a grocery store in Duchesne for groceries for dinner, and “Richard requested to meet the juvenile at that location.”
Officers from the DCSO and AP&P arrived first and took Rasmussen into custody upon his arrival.
The statement said Rasmussen was arrested for investigation of the alleged crimes of:
- Enticing a minor, a first-degree felony
- Dealing in materials harmful to a minor, a second-degree felony
- Distribution of pornographic materials, a third-degree felony
He also was charged with violations of the sexual offender registry, the news release says.
It adds that the DCSO “will continue to work to keep our youth safe from online predators, and safeguard our children’s future.”
The DCSO asked that parents who think their children may be the victim of an online predator call 911, call the sheriff’s office at 435-789-4223, or email [email protected].
