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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City School District employee was arrested Friday after police say he engaged in sexual conversations online with who he thought were teenage girls.
Christian Travis Ward, 48, who police said is an equipment repair technician for the school district, was arrested for investigation of enticing a minor by internet or text, dealing in materials harmful to minors and sexual exploitation of a minor.
Ward participated in an online conversation, which "quickly turned into sex talk," with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl in August 2019, according to jail affidavit. He asked multiple times for explicit pictures and sent an explicit photo of himself, the report states.
They never met in person, according to the affidavit.
In September, Ward is accused of engaging in another online conversation with who he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The affidavit states he attempted to arrange to meet up with the girl, asking "What store do you live by?" and "What school do you go to?"
The meeting never happened, the affidavit states.
Ward also asked for explicit photos and videos and sent multiple explicit photos of himself and one explicit video in that case, according to police.
Ward told police he had talked with who he thought were 13- and 14-year-old girls through various apps, the affidavit says. Police noted that as a school district employee, Ward would have had access to children through his job.
He was booked into Salt Lake County Jail Friday and was being held without bail.
