Utah County man who dressed as Elmo at farmers market arrested for failing to register as sex offender

Photo: Utah County Sheriff's Office

LEHI, Utah, April 17, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 74-year-old Utah County man who dressed as Elmo to pose for photos with children at his farmers market has been arrested for failing to register as a sex offender.

Larry Neff Jarvis, one of the operators of the Lehi Farmers Market at 7431 N. 8000 West in unincorporated Utah County, was arrested Friday amid a zoning investigation when deputies learned he was in violation of his requirements as a registered sex offender in Utah.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office was investigating a possible violation of county code and zoning ordinances at the farmers market near Lehi on April 10 when deputies discovered one of the event’s operators was listed on the state’s sex offender registry.

“Detectives further learned that Jarvis lives at the location of the Lehi Farmers Market, but that the registry lists his current address at a home in Saratoga Springs,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release Monday.

After speaking to the residents near Jarvis’ Saratoga Springs address, deputies learned he had not lived there for at least the past three months, according to the sheriff’s office.

The state sex offender registry requires Jarvis to “update his address or add any additional addresses within three days of moving to the new address. To this date Jarvis has not updated his address,” the release states.

The Lehi Farmers Market is active on social media and has posted several photos with Jarvis with children while dressed as “Sesame Street” monster Elmo, according to the sheriff’s office.

“Many of the activities at Lehi Farmers Market are oriented toward children, including a petting zoo, rides on trailers towed by a tractor, and ‘candy drops’ from a helicopter,” the release states.

Utah law requires written permission from the parents of any child to be accompanied by a registered sex offender.

Jarvis was arrested at his home Friday and booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of failure to update sex offender registry address, a third-degree felony, and sex offender violation in a protected area, class A misdemeanor. He was later released on a $5,000 bond.

Jarvis told police he was aware he had not updated his address with the sex offender registry but that he had an upcoming appointment to do so, according to a probable cause statement filed in 4th District Court.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information or concerns about Jarvis or the Lehi Farmers Market to call investigators at 801-851-4010.

Larry Jarvis Photo Utah Sex and Kidnapping Registry Utah Department of Corrections

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