- Matthew Arellano, of Layton, was arrested for alleged child sex crimes.
- Arellano, 31, allegedly traveled to meet a 13-year-old girl, who was actually an undercover officer.
- He was arrested for investigation of multiple offenses and allegedly admitted viewing child sex abuse material.
LEHI — A Layton man who police say wanted to work in youth corrections has been arrested after allegedly traveling to Utah County hoping to engage in sexual activity with a 13-year-old girl.
Matthew Alexander Arellano, 31, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Monday for investigation of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, distributing harmful material to a minor, enticing a minor, attempted rape of a child and attempted sodomy on a child.
According to a police booking affidavit, Arellano had been talking to an undercover police officer who was posing online as a 13-year-old girl.
"During the conversation, Matthew was quickly advised that he was chatting with a 13-year-old female. Once it was known Matthew was talking to a child, he wanted to switch to a more secure platform," the affidavit states. "During the conversation, Matthew was having extremely sexually explicit conversations with the child and ultimately arranged to meet."
After telling the "girl" he wanted to engage in sex with her, "he took a substantial step and traveled from Ogden to meet with the child. This shows that it was highly probable that he would actually engage in raping the child," according to the affidavit.
Arellano arranged to meet the girl, but was instead met by police when he arrived and was arrested. When officers questioned him, he at first claimed "he was just there to yell at the girl and scare her," the affidavit states, but later admitted "that he does view child sex abuse material."
Arellano "compared his attraction to children to other people having foot fetishes," police wrote in their affidavit. They also noted that he "previously worked with youth at a facility in California and that he was currently enrolled in a criminal justice program so he could work in youth corrections."
Police say Arellano also claimed to have previously sexually assaulted a teen girl, according to the affidavit.
