SALT LAKE CITY — Police arrested a Latter-day Saint missionary on Wednesday in Fremont, California, on suspicion of possessing and distributing child pornography, according to a Facebook release by the Mountain View Police Department in California’s Bay Area.
The arrest of Hayden Hunter, 19, of Pleasant Grove, was part of an investigation by cyberdetectives that began in September 2019 after they received a tip about a Facebook Messenger group chat, according to the police post.
Hunter was working in Fremont at the time of his arrest. Church leaders immediately released Hunter from his missionary calling, church spokesman Eric Hawkins said in a statement released Thursday.
“The allegations against this young man are very serious and are completely against the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” Hawkins said. “There can be no tolerance for child pornography. It is among the most serious of sins, and something for which the church requires formal restrictions on membership, including a likely loss of membership in the church.
“When church leaders learned about these allegations, the young man was immediately relieved of his position as a missionary for the church. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement, and are grateful for their efforts to pursue such serious matters.”
Hunter was booked into the Santa Clara County Jail, according to Katie Nelson, the public information officer for the Mountain View Police Department.
The police report said the Messenger group chat generated more than 20 cybercrime tips related to suspected child pornography. Members of the Messenger group were as young as 13.
The police Facebook post said Hunter used an alias and asked people to come forward if they or someone they know had interacted with the email address katieteal15@gmail.com. It also asked people who interacted with Hunter during his mission to contact Sgt. Tim Dahl at Timothy.dahl@mountainview.gov.