SALT LAKE CITY — An Ohio man has been arrested in Utah on multiple child sex crime charges. Wade S. Christofferson, 72, from Dublin, Ohio, was taken into custody on November 20. His case was unsealed when he appeared in U.S. District Court in Utah on Tuesday.
Christofferson faces charges including attempting to sexually exploit a minor, as well as coercion and enticement, according to federal authorities. The allegations came to light after the Dublin Police Department received a report of abuse on November 12.
Authorities allege Christofferson sexually abused a child in Ohio, who was 7 and 8 years old at the time, 15 to 20 times, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio said. He is also accused of engaging in a sexually explicit FaceTime call with a different 7-year-old minor and sending coded letters to her home in Utah referencing sexual activity.
Investigators say Christofferson also committed hands-on sexual abuse of that child. During a search of his Ohio home, officers discovered a child-sized door leading to a modified attic crawl space, which contained children’s writing on the walls along with a mattress, pillows, and blankets.
Officers also reviewed his phone, noting searches such as “criminal defense attorneys sex crimes Columbus Ohio” and “In Ohio do clergy have to report child abuse confessions.”
Christofferson will be extradited from Utah to the Southern District of Ohio to face charges.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office praised the work of the FBI Salt Lake City Division, Payson Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah for their role in the case.
