Michigan man accused of enticing Utah teen

A 50-year-old Michigan man is charged with several felony charges, accusing him of trying to entice a 16-year-old Utah girl.

A 50-year-old Michigan man is charged with several felony charges, accusing him of trying to entice a 16-year-old Utah girl. (Barbra Ford, Shutterstock)


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SARATOGA SPRINGS — A 50-year-old Michigan man is accused of sending sexually explicit messages and pictures to a Utah teen and telling her he wanted to get her pregnant.

Lawrence Edward Somers, of Oscado, Michigan, was charged Wednesday in 4th District Court with three counts of enticing a minor and two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, second-degree felonies; and dealing in harmful materials to a minor, a third-degree felony.

The investigation began in January when Saratoga Springs police learned a 16-year-old girl was talking to a man named "Larry" online, according to charging documents. The teen "stated that Larry was a 'family friend' and refused to disclose any further details," the charges state.

But detectives then found text messages from Somers to the girl that "indicated he wanted to have sex and get her pregnant" in addition to other sexually explicit messages, according to the charges.

The two "continue to chat and make plans to meet up when (the girl) turns 18 years old. The two engage in more conversations about how old Larry will be when (she) turns 18," the charges state.

Investigators were able to identify "Larry" as Lawrence Somers.

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Pat Reavy interned with KSL NewsRadio in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL NewsRadio, Deseret News or KSL.com since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.
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