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SALT LAKE CITY — A Magna man was arrested and accused of trying to pick up a 12-year-old girl for sex acts after police say he claimed he had a sexual interest in children.
The 12-year-old was actually an undercover police officer posing as the girl.
Tyler Roy Leggett, 25, was arrested Monday for investigation of enticing a minor, 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, and drug possession.
On July 3, police say Leggett talked to a person he believed to be a young girl on an undisclosed social media app. He talked with the "girl" for three days, during which he discussed meeting her for various sex acts, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.
When he arrived at the place he allegedly expected to meet the girl, he was arrested by police. Officers found he was in possession of methamphetamine when he was taken into custody, the report states.
"Tyler was also found to be in possession of at least 10 videos and photos of prepubescent children engaging in sexual activity with adults," the report says. "(He) stated that he did have a sexual interest in children as young as 7 years old.
Leggett's arrest comes on the heels of being charged with theft, a second-degree felony, for allegedly grabbing two phones and a backpack from two women at St. Mark's Hospital in May. When police were able to track down Leggett about a month later, he said he had sold one of the stolen cellphones "to obtain money to purchase methamphetamine," according to charging documents.
