ST. GEORGE — A Leeds man was arrested for sexual abuse of a child involving a girl who was under the age of 10 at the time of the alleged incidents.
Following an investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, 21-year-old Sebastian Alexander Krueger was arrested and booked into jail Wednesday facing charges related to a report of alleged sexual abuse of a child.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, detectives with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office were assigned a report for follow-up at the beginning of February involving a child who was inappropriately touched by a relative approximately four years ago.
The child was under the age of 10 at the time, the report states, and the incident reportedly took place during a visit at a home in Leeds.
The girl was later interviewed at the Washington County Children’s Justice Center by a certified child forensic interviewer. During the interview the girl stated that during the visit in Leeds, a relative, later identified as Krueger, touched her inappropriately. On a subsequent visit, she said Krueger asked her to initiate sexual contact, and when the girl refused, he relented.
Investigators also learned during interviews with family members that Krueger had reportedly moved to Texas, which a relative said was a maneuver to avoid being investigated. According to the charging documents, a detective contacted Krueger by phone and was told that he was in fact living in Texas.
When authorities attempted to arrange for an interview, the suspect said he was “not returning to Utah anytime soon,” the detective noted in the report.
When detectives asked the suspect for his address, explaining they needed that information to arrange for the interview to be conducted in Texas, Krueger said he didn’t know his address. He was asked to call detectives back as soon as he had that information.
Several days passed with no response from the suspect. On Wednesday, a detective drove by Krueger’s house in Leeds and observed a white pickup truck that was registered to Krueger. The detective called Krueger from near the residence, and during the call the suspect told the detective he was back in Utah “but was not available for an interview,” the report states.
Later in the conversation the suspect said he would be able to come in for an interview next week, a statement the detective said he doubted since Krueger had been avoiding his calls.
The detective hung up and went to the residence, where he found the suspect outside standing in front of the home. Krueger was taken into custody and transported to the Sheriff’s Office for questioning. The suspect allegedly admitted to touching the child one time and said it was possibly five years ago but denied there was a second incident.
Krueger was later arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility where he was booked into jail while the detective submitted two charges – second-degree felony sexual abuse of a child and misdemeanor lewdness involving a child – to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.
The suspect was 17 years old at the time of the alleged incidents, Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Crouse said, adding the case was filed in 5th District since Krueger is over 21 currently and no longer under the juvenile court’s jurisdiction.
The suspect remains in custody on $15,000 bail.
Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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