A 26-year-old Utah man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to Felony Sexual Exploitation of a Minor for online actions in 2025. An officer with the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office got the ball rolling on the investigation that has put the 26-year-old Cache Valley man behind bars. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office deputy utilized an undercover chat on a social media app with a user later identified as Jonathan Scott Erickson. Erickson allegedly believed he was communicating with a 13-year-old girl and initiated sexual conversations before sending a nude photograph of himself and sending pornographic videos of young females. Erickson was identified using a photograph he allegedly sent during the online correspondence. On February 11th, a search warrant was served by members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force at Erickson’s residence in Hyde Park and he was arrested. Erickson has since accepted a plea deal and was recently sentenced to 1 to 15 years in the Utah State Prison. The state’s Board of Pardons and Parole will ultimately decide how long Erickson remains in prison.
