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SALT LAKE CITY -- A recruiter for the United States Marine Corps is in jail, accused of having sex with a 15-year-old Utah girl. Investigators say he met that girl at one of the schools where he recruits.
The arrest of 26-year-old Trevor Hooper came as a shock to his family. They say they're heartbroken over what happened.
Family members did not want to go on camera, but said they feel bad about what happened. They say, they love Hooper and will stand by him.
Investigators say Hooper first became friends with the 15-year-old girl while recruiting at her high school.
"He had established a relationship with this young lady as friends. That relationship evolved to the point where they became sexually active," said Salt Lake County sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.
Authorities say the two had sex at a hotel in the Salt Lake Valley in April.
"They also had images that documented that particular act. Those images were found by the father of the young lady," Hutson said.
Hooper has been in the Marines for the past eight years; he's been a recruiter for the past eight or nine months.
A spokesman for the Marine recruiting headquarters says the military takes incidents like this seriously. He says the Marines are cooperating with the investigation and once it's complete, they will make a decision on Hooper's status.
The spokesman also points out that all Marines are trained to live by their core values of honor, courage and commitment; and the alleged actions of one Marine should not be a depiction of the rest of the recruiting force.
Hooper is facing charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and exploitation.
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Story compiled by Sandra Yi and Marc Giauque.
