A man was arrested this month in Duchesne County following an Internet Crimes Against Children investigation involving child pornography. According to court documents, 34-year-old Michael Edward Hardinger was arrested on December 18th on 10 counts of 2nd degree Felony Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. An online activity report revealed that 80 pornographic images of children were uploaded to Hardinger’s email account on a certain day. A search warrant was obtained for the email account and Hardinger was interviewed in October. He claimed the email had been hacked. A search warrant was obtained for Hardinger’s phone and it was processed at the Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory which revealed over 100 videos and images defined as Child Sex Abuse Material. On December 18th, Hardinger was detained and transported to the Duchesne County Jail.
