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MIDVALE — The coach of a girls softball team is facing multiple felony charges for allegedly possessing and distributing child pornography.
Prosecutors say Nicholas Ryan Strandgard, 35, of Midvale, has also been engaging in disturbing conversations online in which he claims to have sexually assaulted young victims.
"It is currently unknown whether these children were in fact sexually abused by (Strandgard). However, even if these claims were untrue, the projection of violent sexual fantasies onto real children that (he) has access to creates an increased risk that (he) is more likely to act out on his sexual urges and sexually abuse children," prosecutors wrote in charging documents.
Strandgard was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, a first-degree felony; and 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
Prosecutors note "when the search warrant in this case was served and (Strandgard) was arrested, he was at the softball field with his softball team."
Strandgard talked online about sexually abusing children he knew, the charges state. When he was arrested, Strandgard "admitted to having relapsed on methamphetamines and to joining internet groups where (child pornography) was distributed and traded.
"Strandgard admitted that he thought he had downloaded hundreds of (child porn) images and videos and saved them to his gallery on his phone. These images had been saved to his gallery in part to facilitate their distribution," the charges state.
Strandgard was also arrested in 2022 for allegedly "engaging in similar sexually charged conversations involving children, but no charges were filed," prosecutors stated.
