Man arrested for nearly 30 counts of child sex abuse after chatting with two undercover officers

LEHI, Utah (ABC4) — A man who allegedly contacted two undercover officers, believing them to be underage girls, was arrested for nearly 30 counts of child sex abuse after attempting to meet a minor for illegal activity.

Joseph Eugene Mangrum, 42, had allegedly been chatting with two separate undercover investigators who were conducting investigations into online predators, according to Lehi’s Special Victims Unit.

In the first case, Mangrum was allegedly chatting with someone who he had thought was 13 years old, and asked the investigator to go on a “different platform” to “have conversations he didn’t want to have on the current platform.” He allegedly went on to say in the conversation that he “[had] to be careful” because he didn’t “want to go to jail.”

In the chat with the second investigator, who reportedly had the username “I am a cop,” Mangrum allegedly engaged in more explicit chats, this time with someone he was told was a 16-year-old girl.

In both chats, Mangrum allegedly asked for nude photographs, attempted to engage in explicit conversations with both investigators, and described lewd actions that he would do if he were to meet up with either victim. Eventually, Mangrum allegedly arranged a meeting with the detective posing as the 13-year-old. As he showed up at the meeting location after driving over an hour, he was taken into custody and was allegedly found with “condoms and lubrication” in his possession.

After obtaining a search warrant to go through Mangrum’s phone, police allegedly found at least 10 child sex abuse material (CSAM) videos that depicted young children. During the search, police allegedly found messages with the supplier of the CSAM that Mangrum “desired to engage in sexual activity with children but had not had the opportunity yet.”

Mangrum has been booked into Utah County Jail, facing 26 individual felony charges. These include:

• 10 counts of aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, all first-degree felonies;
• 2 counts of enticing a minor, one a second-degree felony, the other class A misdemeanor
• 1 count of rape of a child, a second-degree felony
• 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, all second-degree felonies, and
• 1 count of sodomy on a child, a second-degree felony