A former teacher was arrested Friday in Riverton, Utah, for allegedly kidnapping a girl and sneaking her into his classroom inside a large bin.
“According to probable cause statements, detectives with the Riverton Police Department were notified over Thanksgiving weekend about a middle school teacher having inappropriate conversations and relations with multiple teenaged students,” KUTV reported.
Thirty-eight-year-old Lucas Sloan Talley worked at South Hills Middle School for the past 12 years and was allegedly in personal contact with multiple girls during that time.
“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,” the Salt Lake Tribune reported:
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.
Despite the school being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Talley allegedly sneaked the girl into his classroom two times by putting her into a large Sterilite bin and rolling it into the building on a dolly.
The former teacher also reportedly told police he named the bin after the girl and put a label on the inside of it 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,'” the Tribune article read.
Following his arrest, Talley, who is married with four children, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on two counts of kidnapping.