Police in Utah arrested, Scott Preston Ferree, 23, a man accused of manipulating a 16-year-old girl into performing sexual acts with him by allegedly using "devil worship language."
According to a released affidavit of probable cause, the mother of the teen girl contacted police about suspicious texts between her daughter and Ferree back in January 2021.
The mother claimed Ferree has used "some type of devil worship language" to manipulate her daughter into the alleged sex acts.
During an interview with police, the teen told them she had been instructed by Ferree to listen to "Dev" and that Dev would text her about what she needed to do to Ferree.
She later told police she had been instructed several times by "Dev" that she needed to perform specific sexual acts.
The teen admitted that she had followed the instructions and told police that if she hadn't, she was told her family would be cursed and they would pay a great price for not following the instructions.
According to the affidavit of arrest, the girl disclosed to officers that she followed Dev's instructions out of fear for her and her family's safety.
Police said the texted instructions from Dev started shortly after Ferree had forcibly raped the teen at a church house.
The teen's phone revealed numerous provocative photos she was ordered to send to Ferree as well as the aforementioned instructions Dev has sent the girl using a specific phone number.
According to the arrest affidavit, the number was an internet-based phone number created in 2019 by Ferree.
In March of 2021, Ferree was interviewed by police with the Cache County Sheriff's Office and asked to bring his phone with him. He told police his phone was damaged and that it had been dropped, breaking the screen and causing it to smoke.
He continued, telling officers he submerged the phone in water so it wouldn't catch on fire, according to the arrest report.
He presented the phone and it was damaged beyond repair.
During the interview, Ferree admitted to knowing the teen but denied having any sexual contact.
Police issued a search warrant for Ferree's home and discovered several correlations between the suspect's home and vehicle.
Ferree faces two counts of rape, two counts of forcible sodomy, four counts of enticing a minor, and sexual exploitation of a minor.
katv.com
