4 men arrested on child porn charges

Utah has witnessed a spike in child pornography crimes on the Internet and through text messages, and state officials are urging children to beware.

Four men were arrested Sept. 3 for investigation of child sex abuse by the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, according to the Utah Attorney General's Office.

Those arrested included Matt Messner, 39; Shane Lopez, 40; and Dallen Ashton, 20. A 19-year-old man also was arrested, and a 24-year-old was interviewed under suspicion of possessing child pornography.

Messner was arrested in his Sandy home for investigation of nine counts of sexual exploitation of a minor for allegedly possessing child pornography, according to the press release issued Thursday.

Lopez, a Salt Lake resident, and Ashton, of Olympus Cove, were arrested on investigation of charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. Messner was accused of allegedly using his mother's computer to download images and videos of child pornography. Ashton allegedly downloaded child pornography on a computer as well, according to the press release.

According to the release, the task force has seen an 89.5 percent increase in arrests during the first six months of the year compared to the same period last year.

For more information about Internet safety, visit www.attorneygeneral.utah.gov/internet_safety.html.

— Lana Groves