A 5-year-old child in a Utah recreation center bathroom crawled under the barrier and out of the stall he was in when a man allegedly entered and tried to sexually assault him.
On June 1, a 5-year-old boy was spending time at the Lehi Legacy Center.
The child needed to use the facilities, and he went into one of the restroom stalls in a bathroom inside the locker room.
While the youngster was inside the stall, a man allegedly came through the door and started to undo his pants.
The boy reportedly slid under the barrier between the stall he was in and the one next to it. He ran out of the restroom and told his mother what he had experienced.
The child’s mom told staff members on duty, and they called the authorities about the alleged incident.
The Lehi Police Department opened an investigation and collected video from the surveillance camera at the center.
When reviewing the footage, the authorities reported that a man went into the locker room while the child was in the bathroom, and he left at approximately the same time the boy fled.
As they worked to identify the suspect, the police reported that they believed it was 26-year-old Jonathan Jareth Soberanis, with whom they had previous encounters regarding the sexual abuse of a child.
Soberanis was also reportedly disallowed from coming back to the Lehi Legacy Center in 2015.
When speaking with Soberanis about the incident with the 5-year-old, the man reportedly disclosed that he suffers from a condition that impairs his memory. Soberanis allegedly said he had no recollection of anything taking place in the restroom, but that he was at the center to work out.
Deputies decided to apprehend Soberanis, and the man allegedly picked up a glass table and threw it at the officers. He also allegedly struggled as they tried to get ahold of him.
Soberanis was taken into custody and booked for suspicion of lewdness involving a child, criminal trespass with intent to commit a crime, unlawful detention of a minor, voyeurism against a child, sexual abuse of a child, resisting arrest, and assault against a police officer.
If you or someone you love is suspected of a sexual offense, contact Orange County criminal defense lawyer Staycie R. Sena at (949) 477-8088 for a consultation now.