The Salt Lake City Police Department has arrested a 77-year-old man in connection to a kidnapping and sexual assault case involving a juvenile female. SLCPD reports that its Special Victims Unit is requesting the public’s assistance in an investigation.
On May 24, 2024, 77-year-old Tevita Mounga was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on various charges, including Aggravated Kidnapping, Sodomy, Rape, and Aggravated Sexual Assault.
The investigation was initiated around 5:14 p.m. on March 6 when SLC911 received information about a missing juvenile. The juvenile returned home and reported being sexually assaulted.
Special Victims Unit detectives investigated the matter. Detectives say an unknown man approached the juvenile when she was walking home from West High School. The juvenile got into the man’s white truck.
The driver is accused of throwing the juvenile’s phone out of the window and sexually assaulting her. In early May, SLCPD received reports about a man in a white truck approaching female juveniles and having suspicious conversations with them.
SVU and the Crime Intelligence and Analysis Unit worked to identify the driver of the white truck. Detectives say they identified Mounga as the driver. Detectives believe Mounga may have been approaching other juvenile females.
Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities at 801-799-3000.
Jay Skelton is an independent crime journalist with a passion for covering the uncovered and the under covered.