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SALT LAKE CITY — The founder of a South Ogden tutoring company is facing felony charges after police found thousands of files containing child pornography on his cellphone.
Jeremiah David Rivera, 25, is charged in 3rd District Court with 20 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. Rivera's Facebook page lists him as the founder and CEO of That Learning Place, a tutoring service.
Police responded to a Salt Lake City business Dec. 5 after a man reported he had found a cellphone near his workspace, checked photos on it to try to determine who it belonged to, and found hundreds of pornographic images of children, according to charging documents.
Police took custody of the phone that day and executed a search warrant Dec. 10, uncovering more than 2,000 images and 98 videos of child pornography, charges state. The phone also contained photos of Rivera and his family, text messages to his girlfriend and "emails from Rivera concerning employment related to child care," police said.
Rivera was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Dec. 17. Bail has been set at $75,000.
A company profile of That Learning Place on KSL.com Local, presumably written by Rivera, identifies him as a physics and mechanical engineering major at Weber State University available to tutor "pretty much any subject."
"If you're looking for a teacher, you typically want one with experience. You'll also want someone whose personality matches his experience; I can offer you both, and so much more," the profile states, offering tutoring in math, science, creative writing, art and music. "In short, I absolutely love teaching, and whatever it is you would like to do, I can help you out!"
The profile does not specify an age range for That Learning Place's tutoring services.
According to the posting, Rivera "started out working with Sunday school kids as a young teenager," indicating he now works with children's clubs. He also claims to have spent five years as an educator at the Hill Aerospace Museum.
Rivera has no additional criminal history in Utah. A scheduling hearing in the case has been set for Jan. 4.
Contributing: Mike Anderson
