Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Virgil Allen Marcum, 48, was arrested for allegedly attempting to meet a teen for sex.
- He was fired from Juvenile Justice and Youth Services for inappropriate relationships just two months ago, police say.
PRICE — A man recently fired from his job at Juvenile Justice and Youth Services in Carbon County for allegedly having inappropriate relationships was arrested Tuesday and accused of trying to meet up with a teenage girl to have sex.
Virgil Allen Marcum, 48, was booked into the Carbon County Jail for investigation of two counts of distributing harmful materials to a minor, two counts of aiding or abetting a minor in distributing harmful materials and four counts of enticing a minor for sexual activity.
The investigation began Jan. 4 when the Carbon County Sheriff's Office, working with the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children task force, had a deputy pose online as a 14-year-old girl. Marcum contacted the undercover "teen" that same day, according to a police booking affidavit.
"Virgil talks with the minor for some time, talking about trust between him and the minor, building a relationship of trust," the affidavit states. By February, "Virgil asks the minor if (she is) sexually active and begins a conversation regarding sex."
Marcum continues communicating with the "teen," saying he wishes he were younger and could ask her out on a date and tells her "that it is against the law to tell (her) what he is thinking about," according to the affidavit.
Marcum's messages become increasingly sexual and he eventually sends her an explicit picture of himself and asks her to send pictures in return, the affidavit alleges. He later tells the girl that he will pick her up from school and sexually abuse her on the way home.
Investigators noted that Marcum "was recently terminated from the Youth Detention Center for having inappropriate relationships with minors, posing a significant interest in minors."
A spokeswoman with the Utah Department of Health and Human Services told KSL Wednesday that Marcum, who was employed as a "youth development specialist … does not currently work for the Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services and was employed until Dec. 4, 2025."
