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SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was placed on probation just seven months ago after being convicted of sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl he met on social media could be headed to prison if new allegations against him are true.
Arik Jeppsen, 20, of Murray, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday after agents from Adult Probation and Parole filed an "urgent 72-hour hold" violation report in 3rd District Court, requesting that he be placed into custody after new allegations suggest he may have returned to his old ways.
Jeppsen was 19 when he posed as a 16-year-old boy on Snapchat in 2020 and began talking with a 12-year-old girl. After several conversations in which police say he groomed the girl, Jeppsen picked her up one day, drove her to his house and sexually assaulted her. He was charged with eight felonies, eventually pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a child, a second-degree felony.
In February, Jeppsen was given a suspended one-to-15-year prison sentence and placed on four years of probation. He was also ordered to complete sex offender therapy, register as a sex offender in Utah, and write a letter of apology to the girl. In addition, he was also ordered not to have access to the internet unless supervised by a responsible adult.
But according to the Adult Probation and Parole report, "he downloaded Snapchat the day after he got out of jail."
Since his sentencing in February, Jeppsen has allegedly been messaging seven or eight girls under the age of 18 and has been viewing pornography two to three times a week, the report states.
"When agents asked Mr. Jeppsen the ages of the minors he has been in contact with, he minimized and lied, continuously changing how old they were. He eventually admitted to pursuing romantic relationships with a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old," according to the report.
One alleged victim is a 12-year-old girl in Pennsylvania. According to the girl's mother, Jeppsen was posing as a 15-year-old on Snapchat and had been "grooming" her daughter, the report says.
"Mr. Jeppsen and her daughter had been communicating for weeks, until just recently, he sent inappropriate messages to her through Snapchat. The messages were very graphic and sexual in nature," according to the report.
The mother then contacted her local police department. Probation agents in Utah found out about the case when they saw a post on the Facebook page "CCUSA," which stands for Creep Catchers USA.
Jeppsen was called in by his probation officer for questioning after the post was made. Agents noted in their report that Jeppsen either lied or minimized what was happening when questioned.
"He admitted to posing as a 15-year-old, which mimics the behavior of his original offense. When (an agent) tried to access Mr. Jeppsen's Snapchat, it appeared to have been deleted. He was asked when he deleted his Snapchat account. He said he deleted it a couple weeks ago. He then admitted he had deleted it more recently," the report states.
The report also noted that Jeppsen had accessed pornography on March 9, a little over three weeks after being sentenced, and that he had dating profiles profiles on Bumble and Hinge, which he did not tell his probation officer about. Jeppsen had been enrolled in a sex offender treatment program in May, but dropped out after his therapist left in June, according to the report.
The report also noted that Jeppsen has yet to write a letter of apology to the 12-year-old girl he sexually assaulted, as ordered by a judge.
"The continued pattern of predatory behavior Mr. Jeppsen exhibits is very concerning to Adult Probation and Parole. During his short time on probation, his actions show he is not a good candidate for community supervision," the report concludes. "If Mr. Jeppsen is found in violation of his probation, Adult Probation and Parole respectfully recommends he be committed to the Utah State Prison."
