WVC man arrested after missing girl found in basement believed to be sex-trafficked
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KUTV) — A missing Arizona girl was discovered in Utah in the residence of a man who was found guilty in 2020 of sexually abusing a juvenile girl.
According to the Utah Department of Corrections, agents from Adult Probation and Parole learned from Arizona officials that a 14-year-old runaway girl was missing from that state and may have been with Jordan Daniel Sorenson, who is 26 years old.
In collaboration with the human trafficking division of the Utah Attorney General, agents launched an investigation.
Sorenson was tracked down at his place of employment and taken to his West Valley home. The missing teen was eventually found in the basement after agents had searched the house.
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“Thanks to the quick actions of our agents and cooperation with the Attorney General's investigators and West Valley City Police Department, this young woman was found safe,” said Dan Blanchard, director of AP&P. “This is one of the many roles our agents take every day to help keep our communities safe. We are very grateful for the response and professionalism of these officers. Agents act on a number of tips every day, and in this situation they helped to locate this girl."
The girl was found safe and turned over to the care of a victim's advocate from the Attorney General's office.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to assist AP&P and Arizona authorities in this case, and relieved the victim is now in a safe place," said Richard Piatt, communications director with the Utah Attorney General's office. "It is a priority for our office to utilize our Secure Strike Force to assist minors and to prosecute the growing number of human traffickers who are out there. These types of crimes are becoming more frequent, and we all need to continue to work together to combat these crimes.”
The AG's human trafficking team was looking into potential new criminal charges for Sorenson.