Springville man arrested on human trafficking, sex abuse charges allegedly paid victim $15,000 to keep quiet

SPANISH FORK, Utah (ABC4) – Further details have been released on the Springville man who was arrested for forcible sodomy, human trafficking, sexual abuse of a minor, child abuse and obstructing justice.

54-year-old Kevin Sykes, who was previously arrested for having photos on his phone depicting boys ranging from around 8 to 16 years old, allegedly abused a minor “more than 100 times” over the course of the abuse.

In an interview with a detective assigned to the Special Victims Unit, the victim alleges that Sykes “took him up Provo Canyon” and touched him in a sexual manner during the Summer of 2020.

The victim also states that Sykes made multiple requests during the incident to commit sexual acts on him, and that Sykes physically abused him after he refused.

Sykes allegedly gave the victim $500 to not speak of the incident.

During the interview, there were seven other specific disclosures of sex abuse occurring in different jurisdictions.

The victim stated that, more than 100 times, while Sykes was driving him to the bank, or different locations, Sykes would sexually abuse him.

Allegedly, during the “years of abuse,” starting at the age of 13 years old, the victim would receive money from Sykes, and was told he could not say anything because he was being paid.

Sykes would reportedly buy the victim nicotine products, and bought him three cell phones, even paying for his cell phone plan.

The victim estimated that, over three to four years, Sykes had given him approximately $15,000 to not speak up about his sexual abuse.

Additionally, the victim stated several times how Sykes would “hit” him with his hand or belt, and would do so “very hard.”

Court documents show that photos and web searches were recovered from Sykes’ phone depicting abuse of a similar nature.

At the time of the alleged abuse, the victim’s mother had died and his father was in prison, leaving him in state custody.

Sykes was a close friend of the family, according to the report, and stated that he was “mentoring” the boy, and had spoken to a lawyer about taking him in as a foster child.

These facts put Sykes as a person of trust to the victim.

When Sykes was arrested in Santaquin, Utah, he allegedly met officers with resistance, “bracing himself in the doorway by placing his hands above his head on the door jam.”

Sykes has been booked into the Utah County Jail on the following charges: