- Tue Huu Luong, 31, was charged Friday with two counts of child kidnapping.
- Luong is accused of giving rides to children he was told to stay away from; prosecutors say he preys on children.
- He allegedly gave gifts to young students and was banned from Granite school properties.
WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley man who prosecutors say has been "preying" on elementary school children for the past couple of years is now facing kidnapping charges.
Tue Huu Luong, 31, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with two counts of child kidnapping, a first-degree felony.
"The defendant, in this matter, has been preying upon minor children since at least 2024, according to law enforcement databases. The defendant has used multiple online games and social media accounts to interact with minor children," according to charging documents. "The defendant is befriending, grooming, and stalking minor boys by giving them expensive gifts such as iPhone 17s and computers, to be able to communicate with them. Since October 2024, the defendant has been identified in 15 separate police reports regarding these interactions."
The latest police involvement came on Feb. 5 when police say Luong was spotted with an elementary school-aged child in his car. Luong had already been banned from all Granite School District properties at that point "for giving children phones, attempting to check kids out of school without authorization, and meeting with children without parental permission," the charges state.
When the officer spotted a child in Luong's vehicle near an elementary school on this day, the officer began to follow him and eventually pulled him over.
"When he was questioned about who was in his vehicle, Luong said, 'Nobody.' Luong gave (the officer) consent to look in his rear hatch, and when he did, he observed an 8-year-old (boy) squatting in the back. When (the officer) asked why (the boy) was in the car, Luong told him that he didn't know," the charges allege.
Luong was taken into custody and police learned that Luong did not have permission to contact the boy and was previously told by the boy's mother to stay away from him, the charges state. The mother further told investigators that Luong "offered to buy him a computer for his birthday" and believes that Luong has dropped off gifts to her son at their home.
"She said that she received a text message from Luong's phone number, but he identified himself as one of (the boy's) friends, letting her know that there was a Christmas gift for (him) at her door," according to the charges.
When interviewed by police, the boy "said that he and his friends 'stay home when they see (Luong),'" the charges say. On the day Luong was stopped by police, the boy claimed that Luong was waiting for another boy at the bus stop.
"(The boy) said that Luong told him that he is his 'godfather' and they have taken photos together," according to the charges.
The school principal told police that "she became familiar with Luong when he began showing up at the school with reasons to interact with children. She described that he provided a bike to one student, then showed up and requested the bike be returned," the charges state. "Another time, Luong was observed giving children candy after school let out. She said after Luong was trespassed, he would go to a nearby gas station and would send 'middle school-aged' kids over to the school to find three specific boys … to tell them to meet him at the gas station."
