Content warning: This article discusses alleged child exploitation. Reader discretion is advised. Please report online child exploitation to authorities by contacting the ICAC Tip Line at (801) 281-1211 or your local law enforcement agency.
CARBON COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) A man from Carbon County has been taken into custody, facing seven felony charges after allegedly sending sexually explicit messages to an undercover officer whom he thought was a minor.
Brendon John Polito, 38, was arrested and charged with seven felonies, including enticing a minor, attempted child rape, two counts of providing harmful material to a minor, two counts of distributing pornographic material, and failing to update information with the sex offender registry.
A deputy from the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, operating as part of the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, disguised themselves as a 13-year-old girl on social media.
The affidavit states that Polito apparently began communicating online with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. After learning the child’s age, he initially blocked the user, but contacted the undercover officer again a few days later.
When the ‘child’ mentioned being nearly 14, he blocked the user once more, but soon resumed contact, during which he requested explicit photos from the ‘child’.
Two weeks later, the ‘child’ once again told Polito that she was 13 years old, and Polito messaged that he was having “naughty” thoughts and asked if the child had ever had sex. A week after that, he sent further sexually explicit messages and a photo of his genitals to the undercover officer he believed was a child.
After explaining what sex was to the ‘child’ and sending another sexually explicit photo, Polito allegedly made plans to meet up with the child, including a time and a location. The undercover officer messaged as the child that she was on the way to the location, but Polito texted and said he couldn’t because he forgot he had to go do something else.
Police found Polito walking in Price, and officers stopped him. Allegedly, without being asked any questions, he asked police, “Is this about the text messages?”
Polito waived his Miranda Rights and told police that he was talking to a 13-year-old girl. He also gave police written permission to search his phone and showed police where to find the messages on the phone. He wrote an apology letter to the ‘child,’ and when informed that the interview was being recorded, he apologized to the child’s family for the things he sent to the child.
Police said that during this interview, he also admitted to sending sexually explicit photos of himself to the ‘child.’
Polito is a registered sex offender, but he did not register information with the registry about the account he used to message the ‘child’/undercover officer.
Polito was arrested on August 21, and he is currently being held without bail in the Carbon County Jail.
