PROVO — A 27-year-old man with a student visa to attend Brigham Young University was arrested for investigation of seven counts of sexual abuse of a child.
The man was banned and dismissed from BYU on Tuesday, said BYU spokeswoman Carri P. Jenkins — a day after he was booked into the Utah County Jail.
The man apparently lives near a 13-year-old boy, and he developed a friendship with the boy, Provo Police Capt. Rick Healey said.
The relationship allegedly became sexual, and "eventually, as the 13-year-old discovered the inappropriateness of it, he reported it to his parents, who contacted us," Healey said.
The boy's parents called police on Monday. The boy was interviewed at the Children's Justice Center. Police then interviewed the man at the police department.
"Based on interviews of both the victim and the suspect, we had probable cause to make an arrest on seven counts of sexual abuse of a child," Healey said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has filed "hold" papers with the jail, requesting the man be turned over to ICE before released, Healey said.
The man had been a sophomore at BYU, Jenkins said.