Man arrested at West Valley City school for attempted kidnapping of 13-year-old girl
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) — A man with fraudulent government documents was arrested Friday for the attempted kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl at a West Valley City school, according to West Valley City Police.
Miguel Angel Vega Sedano, 21, was arrested in Salt Lake County on one count of child kidnapping (first-degree felony) and two counts of possession of forgery writing/device (third-degree felony).
On March 8, West Valley City Police received information from Granite School District Police that they had detained Sedano for allegedly going to a local school with the intent to pick up a 13-year-old student.
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Granite Police were reportedly alerted to the situation by the girl’s mother prior to Sedano’s arrival at the school.
The parent had found “numerous messages over social media” between her 13-year-old daughter and Sedano, according to a statement of probable cause. The messages reportedly showed that Sedano was on his way to the school to meet up with the girl.
Granite Police found Sedano in a vehicle on school property and detained him, the affidavit states. Police also found Sedano to be in possession of a fraudulent social security card and fraudulent U.S. permanent resident card.
During an interview after his arrest, Sedano allegedly admitted to police that he knowingly communicated with the girl over social media and that he was at the school that day to “pick the girl up and take her home,” the affidavit states.
Sedano reportedly also admitted that he got the fraudulent documents from a family member in Arizona, and not from any official government entity.
“Miguel provided written consent for investigators to review his Instagram account and investigators found a chat thread with the 13-year-old girl,” the affidavit states.
Additionally, Sedano also admitted to being in communication with another 13-year-old girl and having seen her at least three times, police said. Investigators are reportedly working to identify and locate this girl and see if any other charges are applicable.
The Granite School District has released the following statement regarding this matter:
On Friday afternoon, the parents of a 13-year-old student notified school administrators and Granite Police just prior to the end of school, that an adult male had befriended their child online and made plans to meet in person.
Granite District Police detained the suspect as he entered the campus after school had been out for about 30 minutes. West Valley City Police responded and took the man into custody. WVCPD will be handling the investigation moving forward and we would refer all media inquiries to them for any additional questions regarding the case.
We are grateful the student disclosed the conversation to their parents and the student was not harmed. This is an unfortunate, but very real, reminder of the dangers of social media. Almost 60% of teenage girls say they’ve been contacted by a stranger on social media platforms in ways that make them feel uncomfortable. We highly discouraged, giving minors access to social media and respectfully request that if parents or guardians are unable to monitor their child’s smartphone and social media use, they restrict access to it. If your student is inappropriately contacted by strangers on social media or the internet, contact law enforcement immediately.
Sedano was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on the charges previously stated.
No further information is available at this time.
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