- Elijah Samuel Adolphson, 21, was arrested for investigation of multiple lewdness charges in Utah.
- Police linked Adolphson to indecent exposure incidents in Neff's Canyon since 2020.
- Adolphson claims to have exposed himself 40 times, police say.
MILLCREEK — A 21-year-old man was arrested Wednesday after police say he has been exposing himself to strangers for a couple of years and was wanted in connection with a string of indecent exposure episodes in Neff's Canyon.
Elijah Samuel Adolphson was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of lewdness.
On March 18, two women were hiking in Neff's Canyon when they said they were approached by a man who exposed himself to them. Based on the description the women gave to police, Adolphson was believed to be responsible, according to a police booking affidavit.
"A search for Adolphson was done on Neff's Canyon trail, but he was not located. The parking area of Neff's Canyon closes at 10 p.m. At closing time, Adolphson's vehicle was the only vehicle left abandoned in the parking lot," the affidavit states.
Police noted that they were already familiar with Adolphson because "over the past two years, numerous police agencies have been investigating Elijah Adolphson for multiple counts of lewdness."
Also, on Wednesday, Adolphson was charged in Salt Lake County Justice Court with four counts of lewdness, a class B misdemeanor, for exposing himself to four women in Neff's Canyon in 2024, according to charging documents.
That's in addition to two counts of lewdness Adolphson was already facing in Salt Lake City Justice Court, a third count of lewdness filed in 2025 in Holladay Justice Court, plus a fourth count filed in Salt Lake City Justice Court in 2024.
Salt Lake County sheriff's deputies served a search warrant on his residence Wednesday and took him into custody. When questioned, "Elijah admitted that he had a sex addiction. He stated that his addiction moved from online sex chat, picture sharing, and (sex acts) on camera" to exposing himself to strangers, the affidavit alleges.
"Elijah stated that he had exposed (himself) to strangers approximately 40 times since 2020," according to the affidavit. "Elijah stated that he used Neff's Canyon for the exposures due to the fact that he knew the canyon well and he knew he could get away."
After he was arrested, Adolphson allegedly told police "that he wants to be accountable for his actions and needs help to stop his sex addiction."
