PROVO, Utah, Dec. 9, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A 31-year-old Payson man arranged a meeting with a 12-year-old girl over social media, then picked her up at a West Valley City school and drove her to a Provo hotel to have sex with her, charges allege.
Jeffrey Nicolas Nyman is charged in 4th District Court with two counts each of rape of a child, sodomy upon a child, and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, as well as child kidnapping, all first-degree felonies; and enticing a minor, a second-degree felony.
The probable cause statement states that on Nov. 28, the victim did not come home after school. Her mother called the school and found out the victim had not attended classes all day. Police were called and a fellow classmate told officials the victim had stated that she had a 20-year-old boyfriend and they were going to a hotel together for the day.
Soon after police were notified, the victim arrived home.
The victim told police that prior to Nov. 28, she and the suspect engaged in conversations on social media and electronic messaging applications, including Facebook and Snapchat, and she had agreed to meet him. She told police “he knows like literally everything about me,” including her age. The victim also said she was going to marry the suspect and they were going to move to Dallas.
Earlier that day, the suspect picked the victim up at her West Valley City school, which was not named in the charging documents, and took her to Provo where he rented a hotel room. The hotel also was not named.
The two then engaged in sexual acts, including having intercourse at least twice.
Police said that in interviewing the victim, she was able to describe the suspect, his social media accounts, his truck and the hotel where she stated they engaged in sexual relations.
Officials located and interviewed Nyman, and he admitted to communicating with the girl, meeting up with her, taking her to a hotel in Provo and engaging in some “stuff” with her, but claimed they did not have sex. He also claimed he believed the victim was 18 and said he “feels dirty” knowing her actual age.
Nyman is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday. He is currently being held at the Utah County Jail in lieu of $30,000 cash-only bail.
