By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News
A Carbon County man was taken into custody earlier in the month following communications with an undercover deputy, whom he believed to be an underage girl, according to court documents.
Brian Anthony Jones, age 30, was arrested on March 19 outside of the Burger King Restaurant in Price.
On March 23, Jones was formally charged, among other things, with three counts of enticing a minor, two counts of human trafficking of a child, and three counts of distributing material harmful to minors and three counts of aiding or abetting a minor in distributing pornographic material.
According to court documents, communication between Jones and the undercover deputy began at the end of January. Allegedly, during these conversations, Jones would send pornographic images of himself to the deputy, as well as offering money – up to $400 – in exchange for bringing more minors to him.
Per the investigators, Jones also allegedly admitted to the “minor” that he had already assaulted a family member who was also a minor, and that he was going to continue the abuse.
During his March 19 arrest, deputies were able to identify Jones through tattoos that were present in the content he had sent to the undercover deputies, among other identifying characteristics. Additionally, deputies allegedly found marijuana on him.
Jones is currently being held without bail in the Carbon County Jail.
This arrest marks another stop for the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office in the ongoing battle against child exploitation. In February, the CCSO apprehended 48-year-old Virgil Allen Marcum, who is accused of allegedly engaging in illegal activities involving a minor.
Additionally, the sheriff’s office is part of the Utah Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which in 2025 conducted ‘Operation Hive Strike,’ resulting in a statewide network of officers making 15 arrests for a wide variety of charges.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.