A 28-year-old Herriman man is being held without bail in Salt Lake County Jail after West Jordan police say he followed, photographed and inappropriately touched multiple children inside a Walmart store, including placing a substance from a tube on one child's buttocks and sliding his phone under another child's legs. Chaz Seki Tora Ali Casey now faces a first-degree felony charge of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, along with a second-degree felony count of sexual abuse of a child and a Class A misdemeanor voyeurism charge.
According to ABC4 Utah, the West Jordan Police Department responded to the Walmart on Campus View Drive on August 6 after reports that a man had harassed two young girls inside the store. Investigators say surveillance footage captured Casey following a woman and a 10-year-old child through the toy aisle, and that he later took a picture of the child's underwear while she was wearing loose shorts. Patrol officers stopped Casey for questioning as he was leaving the Walmart, the outlet reports.
Lotion, a Phone, and a Pattern of Following
Police say Casey was found carrying lotion when he was stopped, and he admitted to carrying it around the store, per the outlet's report. Investigators allege he placed lotion on one child victim and, from a tube, put a white substance on another child's buttocks. He is also accused of placing his phone under the 10-year-old's legs while she was in the store.
The arrest statement, as described by the outlet, says Casey harassed another child victim in the clothing section and watched and followed that child for a short time before leaving. He allegedly followed other girls and solo women around the Walmart as well, including trailing a woman into the craft section and appearing to use his phone to secretly photograph or record her buttocks.
Admissions and a Second Voyeurism Count
Casey was previously charged with a misdemeanor count of voyeurism for another offense on the same day, according to the report. He reportedly admitted to taking pictures of girls' buttocks if he thought they had a nice figure, but declined to say anything else without an attorney present. A detective investigated the offense by taking statements from witnesses and gathering security footage from the store, the outlet notes.
The arrest statement said Casey's secretive actions knowingly produced child sexual abuse material, a characterization that underpins the first-degree felony charge. Under Utah Code § 76-5b-201, each minor depicted or each separate instance of child sexual abuse material generated can constitute its own individually punishable offense, according to the Utah State Legislature. That structure means secretive photography of multiple children can generate distinct felony counts rather than a single charge.
Why Casey Is Being Held Without Bail
Casey is currently held without bail, a decision that fits within Utah's framework for felony sex offense defendants. Under Utah Code § 77-20-201, prosecutors can request a no-bail hold when clear and convincing evidence shows a defendant poses a substantial danger to the community or to victims, according to the Salt Lake County District Attorney. A first-degree felony conviction in Utah carries an indeterminate prison term of five years to life and fines up to $10,000, while a second-degree felony carries one to 15 years, per Intermountain Legal.
The voyeurism charge Casey faces is elevated to a Class A misdemeanor, carrying up to 364 days in jail and a $2,500 fine, because Utah law raises the offense from a Class B misdemeanor when the victim is a child under 14 or when technology is used to surreptitiously record someone, according to Brown, Bradshaw & Moffat, LLP. Sexual abuse of a child under Utah Code § 76-5-404.1 is defined as non-consensual touching of a child's buttocks, anus or genitalia under age 14, or taking indecent liberties to gratify sexual desire, and is prosecuted as a second-degree felony.
Lifetime Registration and Broader Enforcement Context
A conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor under Utah Code § 76-5b-201 would require lifetime registration on Utah's Sex and Kidnap Offender Registry, which mandates biannual in-person check-ins and updates to residential, employment or vehicle information within three business days, per Intermountain Legal. The case also arrives amid a rising statewide caseload: Utah law enforcement agencies received more than 11,000 cyber tips regarding child sexual abuse material and exploitation in 2025, according to FOX 13 News Utah. Nationwide, Internet Crimes Against Children task forces conducted nearly 347,000 investigations that year, leading to more than 17,000 arrests, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
West Jordan police maintain specialized investigative units, including a Special Victims Unit and an Internet Crimes Against Children task force component, to serve a city of more than 115,000 residents, according to the City of West Jordan. Any felony prosecution stemming from the arrest would fall under Utah's 3rd Judicial District Court, which maintains a courthouse in West Jordan, per Ballotpedia. It remains unresolved whether digital evidence from Casey's phone will prompt federal ICAC involvement, when formal arraignment will take place, or whether additional victims come forward now that the arrest is public.
Casey's charges, as with all criminal allegations, remain unproven, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The case is separate from an earlier West Jordan matter Hoodline reported involving felony embezzlement charges tied to a youth baseball league, though both proceed through the same 3rd Judicial District Court system.
