This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A South Ogden man who runs a tutoring business from his home has been charged with multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after police allegedly found thousands of images of child pornography on his cell phone.
Jeremiah David Rivera, 25, is charged in Salt Lake City's 3rd District Court with 20 counts of second-degree felony sexual exploitation of a minor. Each count carries a potential prison term of up to 15 years.
Rivera runs That Learning Place, which offers tutoring, music lessons and instruction, and educational service, according to a Facebook page.
Rivera was charged last week and made an initial court appearance on Monday. A scheduling hearing is set for Jan. 4.
On Dec. 5, Salt Lake City police responded to a business near 2000 South and 5000 West, where an employee had noticed a cell phone near his work station and opened the phone's photo gallery to see if he could recognize the owner, according to charging documents.
The man observed hundreds of sexually explicit photographs of young females, as well as a photo of co-worker, Jeremiah Rivera, charges state.
The man called police, who seized the phone as evidence.
After police obtained a search warrant, the phone was examined by a forensic lab and found to contain "multiple images of Rivera and his family, text messages from Rivera to his girlfriend, and emails from Rivera concerning employment related to child care," charges state.
The phone also contained more than "2,000 images of child erotica and child pornography, and 98 videos of child pornography," charges state.
Rivera was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on Dec. 17. Bail was set at $75,000.
In a business profile of That Learning Place on KSL.com Local that was apparently written by Rivera, he identifies himself as being a physics and mechanical engineering major at Weber State University who "can tutor pretty much any subject."
"If you're looking for a teacher, you typically want one with experience. You'll also want someone whose personality matches his experience; I can offer you both, and so much more!" the profile states.
Rivera says that he "started out working with Sunday school kids as a young teenager," and now works with children's clubs. He also worked as an educator at the Hill Aerospace Museum for more than five years, according to the profile.
"I always do my best to make every lesson as enjoyable as possible. I love teaching and learning, and would love the opportunity to help you on your journey. Let me show you what I have to offer, and I promise, you will not regret it!" according to the profile.
Other than traffic tickets, Rivera has no other criminal history according to a search of Utah court records.