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AMERICAN FORK — A Utah County school teacher has been arrested and accused of soliciting nude photos from a boy online.
Andrew Walsh, 32, of Orem, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Monday for investigation of enticing a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor.
While a spokesman for the Alpine School District declined to say Tuesday where Walsh works as a teacher, he did confirm that Walsh has been an employee of the district since 2016.
"We became aware of an accusation regarding an individual who is an employee of Alpine School District. We have taken immediate action by placing the employee on administrative leave pending an investigation, and are working closely with law enforcement," the district said in a prepared statement.
The investigation began in July when the father of a 16-year-old boy found "sexually explicit conversations" on his son's phone that he was having with other males on various apps and websites, according to a police booking affidavit.
In one conversation thread, the boy tells Walsh that he is only a teenager, but that did not deter Walsh who "then continues trying to arrange a meeting," the affidavit alleges.
Walsh was first interviewed by police on Aug. 15, during which he admitted to exchanging nude pictures with the boy, according to the affidavit.
"I found that Andrew is currently a teacher at a local public school so I request that Andrew be held without bail as he has easy access to children with whom he holds a position of trust," the arresting officer wrote in the affidavit. The arrest report does not indicate which school.
Police then reached out to the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force, which agreed to accept the case.
