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SANTAQUIN — A Midvale man has been charged with engaging in sexual activity with a teenage girl after lying about his age online.
Joshua Martin Martinez, 32, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with two counts of rape, a first-degree felony.
On Feb. 8, police say Martinez, "using a false name and profile," contacted a girl on Facebook.
"The victim and (Martinez) started messaging back and forth, and the victim told (him) she was 15 and asked how old he was. (Martinez) told her he was 17. The victim asked him if he had a driver's license he could show her because his age was really important to her. (Martinez) claimed he didn't have a license but messaged her about how he was in class, had to go to work as soon as school was out, and that he was graduating early in an attempt to convince her he was 17-years old," according to charging documents.
Martinez later drove to Utah County to pick up the girl and the two had sex in his car, the charges allege.
"(Martinez) and the victim continued to message back and forth and agreed to meet up and have sex on Feb. 10," according to the charges.
The girl later learned that she and Martinez had a mutual friend on Facebook. When she contacted the friend and began talking about Martinez, the friend stated that she had also gone on a date with him and that he was much older, the charges say.
The girl then contacted police who, in turn, made contact with Martinez through text messages, leading him to believe the girl wanted to meet up again for sex, according to charging documents. When he arrived at the designated meeting location, Martinez was arrested.
