Riverton police arrested a South Hills Middle School teacher Friday on kidnapping charges after he reportedly sneaked a child he had been grooming into his classroom in a bin.
Lucas Sloan Talley, 38, was booked into Salt Lake County jail Friday for investigation of two counts of kidnapping. He is being held without bail, and has not yet been formally charged.
Talley was communicating with multiple young girls over texts and emails, according to a probable cause statement. He told police he has anxiety and panic attacks so he reached out to young girls to see if they could talk him through his anxiety. He told police his ego “thrives” on validation from the girls.
According to police, Talley began grooming a 14-year-old girl last year. He told the girl about his marriage and depression and said he loved and missed her, according to the probable cause statement. He took treats to her house and spent hours there with her. The teacher told police he thought about having a relationship with the girl, but said he knew he would have to wait six or seven years.
When South Hills Middle School closed because of the pandemic, he sneaked the girl into his classroom twice by putting her inside a large Sterilite bin and rolling it into the school on a dolly. He told detectives he named the bin after the girl. Police say he put a label inside that said, “hope your box is comfortable.”
Police say the teacher touched the girl on her inner thigh and rubbed her leg. She was uncomfortable and afraid “something sexual was about to happen.”
Talley had taught at South Hills Middle School for 12 years, and resigned about a week before he was arrested. According to Riverton police, they are investigating to determine if there are other victims.
