- Pedro Tavares Evangelista Neto, 29, was arrested for investigation of sexually abusing teen girls in Utah.
- Neto allegedly posed as a teen to exploit minors; police suspect more victims.
- Investigators seized electronics from his home; the case remains under active investigation.
PAYSON — A Utah County student has been arrested and accused of sexually abusing or exploiting two teenage girls. And police believe there could be additional victims.
Pedro Tavares Evangelista Neto, 29, who is living in Provo on a student visa from Brazil, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday in one case for investigation of rape of a child, sodomy on a child and unlawful kissing of child, and in a second case for investigation of two counts of enticing a minor and four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.
In the first case, a 13-year-old girl met Evangelista on Snapchat. Police say he claimed to be 16. The two met up, and Neto drove the teen "to a construction area in the south end of Utah County between Payson and Salem" and sexually assaulted her, according to a police booking affidavit.
The girl contacted police, who said they traced Evangelista's phone number back to him. Investigators conducted surveillance on his home before serving a search warrant and arresting him.
During the investigation, police learned of another case from 2023 in which Evangelista was investigated for the sexual assault of a 16-year-old girl while he claimed to be 18, the affidavit alleges. Detectives said they also learned of another 13-year-old girl who claimed she was sexually assaulted in the spring by Evangelista, who allegedly told her he was 16.
"This case is actively being investigated," police said in the arrest report. "In all of the above-mentioned cases, Pedro (claimed to) be 18 years old or younger to gain the trust of his minor victims.
"Pedro has engaged in a course of conduct over the past three years where he is the perpetrator in four known cases. These four cases all have similar modus operandi and are all cases of sex crimes against children," the affidavit says.
While police were serving a search warrant on Evangelista's residence, "three computers and two cellphones were seized." Evidence was found that Evangelista had engaged in an online conversation with a 14-year-old girl and encouraged her to send inappropriate pictures, a second police booking affidavit states. The two also allegedly made plans to meet.
