A 71-year-old substitute teacher who worked in two Cache Valley school districts is behind bars after Logan City police say they found him with a 15-year-old boy inside a vehicle parked near Willow Park's baseball fields in the middle of the night. Randy Lamar Jensen now faces a stack of first-degree felony charges, including aggravated kidnapping.
According to Cache Valley Daily, officers contacted the vehicle around 12:30 a.m. Friday and took Jensen into custody about 1 a.m. The park's baseball fields sit on city property that, per Logan's Parks and Recreation Department, is closed to the public from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. under city ordinance.
ABC4 reported that officers found two people inside the vehicle, identified as Jensen and the 15-year-old boy. The station's report states the teen told an officer he had arranged to meet Jensen for sex and that the two had been communicating on Snapchat beforehand.
Nude Images and a Recorded Encounter, Police Say
The affidavit, as described by the Cache Valley outlet, states the teen sent Jensen at least three nude images over Snapchat. Investigators also say a video showing sexual activity between Jensen and the boy was recovered from the teen's phone; per the same account, the video was dated Friday at 12:30 a.m., matching the time officers say they contacted the vehicle.
Jensen admitted meeting the boy online and knowing he was under 18, according to the affidavit cited in the reporting. He is also said to have admitted previously having sex with the teen at his own home after learning the boy's age, as well as exchanging nude photos with him. The affidavit further states Jensen admitted soliciting sex that night and engaging in sexual acts while the boy recorded video, and that he intentionally met and transported the teen to the park for unlawful sexual activity.
Charges Span Multiple Felony Levels
Jensen was charged with aggravated kidnapping, two counts of forcible sodomy, aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, and criminal solicitation of a minor — all first-degree felonies, the article notes. He also faces second-degree felony charges of enticing a minor and three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, plus a third-degree felony count of distributing material harmful to a minor.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Aaron Jossie said substantial evidence supports the felony charges of a sexual nature involving a minor, and he asked the court to revoke bail, arguing Jensen has access to children through his teaching work and poses a danger to the community. Jensen works as a substitute teacher for both the Cache County and Logan City school districts, per Logan City police.
Jailed Pending Nov. 18 Court Date
Judge Spencer Walsh assigned Jensen a public defender and ordered him to remain in jail, with another court appearance set for Nov. 18. The teen's parents said they did not know their son had left the house that night.
Jensen appeared in Logan's 1st District Court the same day of his arrest, according to court documents referenced in the reporting. As with all people arrested and charged in criminal complaints, Jensen is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
