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SALT LAKE CITY — Probation was ordered Monday for a North Logan man who told the FBI that his attempt to solicit a teenage boy for sex online ended in a scam.
In a sentencing hearing in 1st District Court, Nicholas "Nick" Deelstra, 54, was given credit for the 73 days he had already spent in the Cache County Jail and was ordered to complete 36 months of probation.
Deelstra pleaded guilty in October to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony carrying a potential sentence of up to five years in prison.
In exchange for Deelstra's plea, an additional third-degree felony for dealing in harmful materials to a minor and two class A misdemeanors for enticing a minor were dismissed.
As part of his probation, Deelstra was ordered to complete 60 hours of community service, register as a sex offender and have no internet access without approval, court documents indicate.
According to police, Deelstra contacted a 15-year-old boy on Craigslist on Aug. 24. The two exchanged text messages talking about having sex and exchanged explicit pictures, charging documents state. But the boy never showed up after agreeing to meet with Deelstra.
The next day, Deelstra started receiving texts from a person claiming to be the boy's father. The father "was now demanding he send money to cover car repairs because (the boy) had damaged the vehicle while trying to go meet Nick," according to the charges.
On Aug. 29, Deelstra contacted the FBI "claiming he was a victim of a scam on Craigslist," according to court records.
The FBI asked a Logan police officer to interview Deelstra, specifically about the part of his story where he claimed he solicited a teenage boy for sex, the charges state. Deelstra was arrested after the officer interviewed him and reviewed the messages on his phone.
Charges were filed against Deelstra in September. They do not indicate whether the 15-year-old he was allegedly texting was a real person or part of a scam.
At the time of his arrest, Deelstra was a licensed vocational rehab counselor, according to the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing website, and was listed as a counselor for the Northern Utah District of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation.
He has since surrendered the license and a Department of Workforce Services spokesman confirmed he is no longer employed by the state.
