WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A man was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping a child on Friday, and police say he has questionable relationships with several other children and has been warned to stay away from them.
Friday morning around 8:25, an officer with Granite School District Police pulled over 31-year-old Tue Huu Luong. The reason for the initial traffic stop was not given in the arrest report; however, police say Luong has been trespassed from all Granite buildings, along with a nearby elementary school and an apartment complex, due to "continued attempts to interact with children in the area."
During Friday's traffic stop, police said there was a child in the front seat of Luong's car.
Police said Luong agreed to speak with them after being advised of his Miranda rights. He said he was aware that he's not allowed to contact the child, and he admitted to driving in the area where the child walks to school, hoping to see the child. Luong said the child asked him for a ride to school, and Luong did so, even though he knew he could get in trouble. He also admitted that he did not contact the child's parents for permission to give the child a ride to school.
Luong said he picked the child up around 40 minutes before the traffic stop. Police said he was unable to explain why he was in the car with the child for so long, other than saying he drove past the child's school to buy snacks at a nearby gas station. He also allegedly admitted that he has picked the same child up multiple times to drive them to school.
The child's age and gender were not provided. However, the arresting officer wrote that there have been about 15 reported incidents of Luong contacting boys around eight years old over the past several months.
Luong allegedly told police that these boys are his "godsons," but that is not the case — police say he is not related to them, and the children's families have told Luong to stay away.
He was booked for first-degree felony child kidnapping. He is being held without bail.
A search of Utah's court records system found no prior criminal charges against Luong, other than various traffic citations.
