A teacher at Hunter High School in West Valley City, Utah, was arrested Monday after police say he made contact with what he thought was a 13-year-old girl and sent her at least four inappropriate photos.
Jared Wayne Briggs, a 37-year-old math teacher at the school, was charged today with five felonies: one count of enticing a minor and four counts of dealing in harmful materials to a minor. He was apprehended after police in Weber County, located about 30 minutes north of West Valley City, began an undercover operation using the app Whisper. After an exchange over the course of a few days (March 5 to March 13), during which the lewd pictures were sent, Briggs sent a photo of his face via Snapchat, which allowed police to identify and arrest him. He readily admitted his wrongdoing, also confessing to viewing pornography and chatting with underage girls on the regular, preferring them “innocent-like.”
Briggs was hired on at Hunter High School in August 2019 upon recently moving to Utah. A quick search yielded his Facebook profile, which shows him ostensibly married and with two young children. He is originally from California. At the time of his arrest he claimed Eagle Mountain, a small town 30 minutes south of the high school, as his residence.
Jared Briggs remains in jail in lieu of $30,000 bail, and has been placed on administrative leave at Hunter High School.
Hunter High serves approximately 2600 students in grades 9-12 in the Salt Lake City area, and is part of Granite School District. Fifty-seven percent of students are classified as low-income, and the school consistently rates low on standardized tests and college readiness.
High school teacher arrested on teen sexual enticement charges
Hunter High teacher arrested in online sting
Hunter High teacher arrested in online sting
Where Your Children Are 