American Fork man arrested in child sex abuse case

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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A 54-year-old man who is accused of sexually abusing two children in Eagle Mountain last year was arrested Thursday, officials said.

Richard Craig Watson, of American Fork, was booked into the Utah County Jail Thursday on suspicion of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said in an emailed statement. Bail has not yet been set.

On Jan. 7, a man and woman from Eagle Mountain reported to law enforcement officers that three of their daughters had been sexually abused, Cannon said.

Detectives spoke with the children, who said they had been sexually abused between May 26 and June 1 last year while the parents were away from the Eagle Mountain home, Cannon said. The children were at the home with a babysitter at the time.

Watson is currently on probation and previously has been convicted of lewdness and failing to register as a sex offender, Cannon said. He has also been listed on the Utah Sex Offender Registry.

Detectives believe Watson possibly has victimized others, Cannon said. Anyone who may have been a victim of Watson’s, or knows someone who might have been victimized by him, is asked to call Utah County Sheriff’s Office detectives at 801-851-4010.