AG: Check 'buddy list' for suspected Internet sexual predator
This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Posted: 2:42 PM- Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff wants parents to check their home computers to see if an alleged sexual predator is on their child's "buddy list."

The state Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force arrested 29-year-old Spencer C. Turner after a sting operation. They suspect he may have already had sex with underage girls.

"Everyone gets a sick feeling when you catch someone and it's too late. We are very concerned some children have already been hurt," Shurtleff said in a news release. "I am pleading with parents to keep a close eye on their kids and their computers."

Turner reportedly used the screen name "boredstiff_89" in Internet chat rooms, and the name "Scott Taylor" would appear on a buddy list.

On June 21, Turner allegedly asked an underage girl - actually an undercover officer - to meet him so he could touch her breasts and kiss. He was arrested and booked in the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of enticing a minor over the Internet, a second-degree felony.

After the arrest, according to the Attorney General's Office, investigators received information that Turner may have had sexual relations with two underage girls he met online and another girl he met while running in a Murray neighborhood. All of the encounters allegedly occurred during the past 2 1/2 years.

"We need the community's help," Lt. Rhett McQuiston, the investigator handling this case, said in a news release. "Our primary goal is to help the underage victims and their families."

Anyone with information about the suspect or possible victims is urged to call McQuiston at 801-514-4287. The Attorney General's Office is now screening this case for criminal charges. In this matter.

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