SMITHFIELD, Utah — The soccer coach at Sky View High School in Smithfield was arrested Wednesday after allegedly sexting a police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl.
Jorge Alejandro Cruz, 48, faces three counts of enticing a minor by text and four counts of dealing in materials harmful to a minor.
According to the probable cause affidavit, Cruz first reached out to the officer on Dec. 14 asking if they could private message them using a mobile app. The officer said "within minutes" of the private chat, Cruz had asked how young she was and told her that "the group we were in was for adults because they share nude images." After telling Cruz she was 13 and in eighth grade, Cruz asked the officer several questions regarding sexual acts and pornography.
The following day, Cruz continued the conversation and once again asked the officer if she was 13, followed by more talk about sex. Cruz eventually said he thought the "girl" was a "cyber cop," but ended the conversation by saying "let's just not talk about sex it all."
On Jan. 7, the "girl" and Cruz argued because he wouldn't give out his age and wouldn't stop asking her for pictures.
Cruz re-engaged with the officer on Feb. 3 in an online group where people share images and videos of bestiality. The next day, Cruz sent a video to the group showing him engaged in a solo sexual act.
Nearly a week later, following continuing sexting from Cruz, the officer said he "became scared that I was an undercover cop and said 'we can be friends but I believe is best if we don't talk anymore,' and ended the conversation.
A search warrant was served on Cruz's account where authorities learned he was the high school's soccer coach and other local teams.
When taken into custody Wednesday, Cruz said he hadn't talked with any minors on the app and said "he feels guilty for being on the app because he doesn't want to cheat on his wife." When asked specifically about his messages with the officer pretending to be a 13-year-old, Cruz said he couldn't remember how old the "girl" was and denied sharing explicit images or videos.
The Herald-Journal reports Cruz is no longer the Sky View High School coach.
