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OREM — A captain with the Utah Department of Corrections has been arrested and accused of trying to solicit a young girl for sex.
Victor D. Smith, 55, of Eagle Mountain, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with attempted sodomy on a child, a first-degree felony, and enticing a minor, a second-degree felony.
On Nov. 2, Smith engaged in a conversation using an undisclosed social media app with a person he thought was a 13-year-old girl, according to charging documents. In reality, police say he was chatting with an undercover officer with the Orem Police Department conducting a sting operation.
Smith engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the undercover officer and seemed to indicate that he had talked to or attempted to meet girls before, the charges state.
"(Smith) stated he has 'been scammed and ghosted so many times' chatting with people about sex on the internet. (He) stated, 'I got scammed last week ... went clear to Provo to an apartment complex and then they asked for money. Then today I was supposed to meet a (way younger) girl and it was all (expletive),'" according to the charges.
When Smith tried to arrange a meeting with the "girl," he made mention of her being in school, which investigators say is evidence he was aware of the age of the girl he believed he was chatting with, the charging documents state. He later stated he was getting "paranoid" and asked for additional proof that the person he was talking to was a child, and then told the girl not to tell anyone about their conversation and that he's "not committing to anything verbally on this chat venue."
Smith, has been with Utah Department of Corrections for 23 years, with his most recent assignment being in the training division. "This behavior is not tolerated and swift action will be taken starting with the placement of Mr. Smith on administrative leave this past Saturday," said corrections spokeswoman Kaitlin Felsted.
Prosecutors have requested Smith be held in jail without bail pending trial, but noted in charging documents that if Smith is able to post bail that he be required to wear a GPS ankle monitor.
Correction: Smith was working for the corrections training division at the time of his arrest. An earlier version incorrectly stated he was working at the Central Utah Correctional Facility in Gunnison.
