LEHI, Utah — A Utah National Guardsman is now facing several charges linked to child sexual abuse after police say he attempted to meet with an 8-year-old boy. Derek Michael Whitney, 43, was arrested Tuesday.
According to court documents, Lehi police learned about the potential exploitation on May 6. At that point, members of the FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force became aware of an individual, Derek Whitney, who was communicating over the internet with someone whom he believed to be the father of the 8-year-old.
Investigators say in the messages, Derek specifically stated sexual acts that he wanted to perform on the child.
When Derek Whitney arranged a time and place to meet with the father and his son in Lehi, FBI Agents and Task Force Officers arrested him without incident. In his possession, detectives say, was the device he was using to communicate over the internet.
Derek allegedly admitted to detectives that he was communicating with the father to discuss the sexual abuse. Police say that at the time of his arrest, he was a member of the Utah National Guard with a Top-Secret Security Clearance.
Derek Whitney now faces charges of enticement of a minor and attempted sodomy on a child.
