State rehabilitation councilor sentenced to jail and community service for enticing minor over the internet

Mugshot courtesy of the Cache County Jail

LOGAN — A state rehabilitation councilor has been sentenced to 72-days in jail after pleading guilty to enticing teenage boys to have sex with him over the internet. The sentence means Nichalos Deelstra will now be released from jail, after being given credit for the time he has already served.

According to defense attorney Mike McGinnis, Deelstra appeared in 1st District Court Monday morning. In addition to the two-and-a-half-months in jail, Judge Thomas Willmore also ordered the 54-year-old North Logan man to complete 60-hours of community service and complete sex offender therapy.

In September, police officers interviewed Deelstra after he allegedly called the FBI, claiming that he was being scammed. He admitted to trying to arrange to have sex with an underage boy, after placing an ad on Craigslist. He said he solicited for sexual activity with the teen, who claimed he was 15-years-old. The two allegedly exchanged pornographic photos of each other.

Deelstra reported that the boy never showed up, and a person claiming to be the teenager’s father contacted him. The man claimed the boy had damaged a vehicle driving to the defendant’s home, and demanded money to cover the repairs.

Deelstra reportedly sent $1,472 in gift cards to the man before contacting authorities.

In October, Deelstra waived his right to a preliminary hearing and pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, a third-degree felony. As part of the plea deal, prosecutors dropped the three remaining charges against him.

According to a state employment database, Deelstra was a rehabilitation councilor who works for the Utah Department of Workforce Services. He had been in jail since his arrest September 7.

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