One arrested on suspicion of a string of sex crimes in Utah County

PROVO — After multiple lewdness incidents were reported in the Utah County area, a Roy man has been arrested.

Edward Terry Bunnell, 69, was arrested by Provo police on Tuesday, following an investigation dating back to late May, according to a bookings affidavit.

The document states that on May 27, Bunnell approached two victims on Freedom Boulevard in Provo and proceeded to ask the pair if they wanted a ride. Both victims alleged that he was inappropriately touching himself in the vehicle.

According to the document, there were two other incidents in May and July alleging that Bunnell approached victims in the Provo area, proceeded to flash them, and then drove off.

Detectives located Bunnell’s vehicle using security camera footage as well as a set of camera systems set up around the state used to read license plates and vehicle descriptions, leading to Bunnell’s identification, according to the affidavit.

During the investigation, detectives located Bunnell’s vehicle using the camera system heading into Provo. The affidavit states that Bunnell was stopped for a missing license plate and for not stopping at a red light.

“Similar incidents have been reported to neighboring police agencies,” Provo Police Department Chief Troy Beebe said in a release. “If there is anyone in our community who may have been a victim of similar crimes by this same individual, we encourage them to come forward and make a report by contacting the police department for the city in which the incident occurred.”

Bunnell was booked into the Utah County Jail for a total of seven charges, including;

• Failure to obey a traffic control device, an infraction;
• five counts of lewdness by a sex offender, a third-degree felony, and;
• removing registration from a vehicle, a class C misdemeanor.