Police believe Utah child sex offender facing new charges has fled to California
Jul 13, 2023, 10:52 PM | Updated: 10:53 pm
BOUNTIFUL, Utah – The hunt for a missing child sex offender, now charged with another sex assault of a minor, has expanded from the Mountain West to the West Coast.
The Bountiful Police Department said Thursday they know 36-year-old Christopher Law was in the area of Sacramento, California, on Wednesday. However, Assistant Chief Dave Edwards didn’t provide further details about how they learned about Law’s location.
“We do feel he’s a danger to the community,” Edwards told KSL. “We need assistance in locating and arresting him to bring him into custody.”
Two warrants are out for Law’s arrest, one issued by Utah’s Board of Pardons and Parole, the other by Utah’s Second District Court, where Law is facing a new charge of first-degree felony rape.
“He couldn’t help himself”
Charging documents indicate a 16-year-old girl reported Law had sexually assaulted her on June 24.
Those charging documents also state Law admitted to the crime when confronted by witnesses and said he “couldn’t help himself.” He then asked the witnesses to wait until 9 p.m. to call the cops, “so he could get his things together.” A witness called the police immediately.
Investigators believe Law may have fled to Colorado after being confronted. Another witness told police they saw Law leaving his apartment carrying a laundry basket full of clothing.
Convicted child sex offender on the run, charged with raping a minor while on parole
Colorado Investigation
The KSL Investigators have learned that police in Grand Junction, Colorado, were looking for Law concerning a missing person’s case until July 3. That case was opened after the family of a woman contacted authorities to report she and Law had not returned from a trip, hadn’t shown up for work, and both of their cell phones had been turned off.
The car police believe that Law is in. (KSL TV)
According to Grand Junction Police documents, Law and the woman were last believed to be traveling in a black BMW with Texas license plate NNR-1027.
Police closed the missing person investigation in Colorado after the woman’s mother made contact with her and told police she didn’t believe her daughter was in physical danger.
“No one should approach him”
Bountiful Police want to hear from anyone who has seen Law or the vehicle but warns to be cautious if you do see him.
“Any fugitive that’s running from the law and trying to avoid arrest, we consider them dangerous. No one should approach him,” Edwards said. “Give us a location or information so we can locate him and get him into custody before any other crime is committed.”
Prior Conviction
Law was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a child in 2010 and was sentenced to a term of six years to life in prison. He was paroled in 2020 and, according to Adult Probation and Parole, was considered “in-compliance” until this most recent investigation.
Because of his prior conviction, a conviction in the new case would carry a mandatory life sentence without another chance for parole.
The KSL Investigators are awaiting responses from several agencies as we work to answer critical questions about how and why a convicted child sex offender had access to a minor.
Anyone with information about Law is asked to call Bountiful police at 801-298-6000.
This report is part of a series examining how apparent gaps at every level of Utah’s criminal justice system fail to protect Utahns. If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Helpline at 1-888-421-1100. You can also call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.
Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.
