A Logan funeral director has agreed to stop performing services, at least until he resolves 11 criminal charges accusing him of enticing a boy into sex.
Lonnie Kent Nyman faces up to 15 years in prison on each of the three most serious charges filed against him last week. Utah State University on Wednesday sent an alert to its students saying Nyman was free on bail and warning them about a “Potential Threat” posed by Nyman.
“Do Not Approach Him,” the alert said before directing students and staff to call 911 or police if Nyman arrives on campus.
The alert didn’t specify whether Nyman was suspected of offenses against anyone at USU or had threatened anyone there.
On Thursday, the Utah Department of Commerce provided a copy of an agreement it reached with Nyman, who owns Nyman Funeral Home. Nyman agreed to a suspension of his funeral director’s license until the outcome of his criminal charges.
According to charging documents filed in state court in Logan, Nyman in March used a dating app to meet an underage boy. Nyman knew the boy’s age, the documents allege.
Nyman and the boy exchanged explicit photos of each other, prosecutors allege. They also agreed to meet for sex, court document say, though the boy was disturbed by Nyman’s behavior and left the meeting before any sexual contact occurred.
Then in April, Nyman’s wife found the explicit photos on his iPad, the court document say. Nyman sent the boy messages saying police might find out and he should delete the messages and photos.
Nine of the 11 charges are felonies, including counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, dealing in materials harmful to a minor and witness tampering.
