Layton man, 73, sexually abused 2 boys offering to mow lawns, charges say
Jul 24, 2024, 7:49 PM
(Spenser Heaps, Deseret News)
LAYTON — A Layton man is facing criminal charges accusing him of luring two children into his home and molesting them while they were going door to door offering to mow lawns.
Alexius M. Gallegos, 73, was charged Monday in 2nd District Court with two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony.
The two boys were pushing a lawn mower on July 2 and asking residents in the Layton neighborhood if they needed their lawns mowed. When they approached Gallegos, he “lured” the boys into his home, according to charging documents. Neither the charges nor the arrest report indicate how old the boys are.
“Gallegos told them he would not pay them to do garden work, but he would pay them if they pulled down their pants and showed him their genitals and their buttocks,” the charges state. “Gallegos got the two male juveniles to come close to him while sitting in his office chair,” then inappropriately touched them.
On July 18, Gallegos was detained during a traffic stop, where he admitted to touching one of the boys and telling them “they could make more money if they removed their clothing,” the charges allege. He was booked into Davis County Jail and is being held without bail.
Gallegos is scheduled to appear before Judge Michael DiReda on July 26.