SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah (ABC4) – A Sandy Fire Captain has been arrested and relieved of his duties after allegedly recording teen girls and distributing child sexual abuse materials.

Officials have identified the suspect as Clinton McKee, 45, of Salt Lake County.

Authorities first received a cyber tip in January 2022 of child sexual abuse material being uploaded and distributed from an account traced back to McKee.

That information was forwarded to the Utah Attorney General’s Office and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program (ICAC).

On March 10, the ICAC Task Force searched McKee’s residence with a warrant.

When authorities questioned McKee, he admitted to viewing and distributing the illicit material to other users. He also admitted to using search terms containing the words “teen” and “voyeur” while searching for the child abuse material.

Authorities discovered McKee hid also cameras inside a home business space where teenage girls would undress. McKee said he kept those videos for his own viewing pleasure, arresting document state.

The Sandy Police Department released an updated statement on Friday saying:

“UPDATE: Sandy City Fire Department Captain Clinton McKee is no longer employed with Sandy City.

Sandy City officials were deeply troubled to learn Sandy City Fire Department Captain Clinton McKee was the subject of an open criminal investigation by the Utah Attorney General’s office. Captain McKee was immediately placed on administrative leave pending an administrative investigation into the allegation of criminal conduct. Sandy City leadership and staff are committed to complete transparency and will cooperate fully with the Attorney General’s office regarding their investigation.”

Nick Arteaga, the prevention coordinator for Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, says filming people undressing without their consent is a form of sexual violence.

“Now that internet usage is so much more prevalent it’s absolutely a medium in which people can be violated, blackmailed,” said Arteaga.

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, one in eight people who watch child pornography act on it in person.

“When a trusted authority figure or an entrusted adult takes advantage of someone who can’t give consent, it’s absolutely traumatizing,” said Arteaga. They also say survivors of these types of crimes can be impacted in many ways, even if they are not harmed physically.

“It causes a lot of psychological distress, a lot of mental illness and the sad thing is, it happens all too often,” said Arteaga.

Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault shares resources on their webpage to help survivors of sexual assault.

The organization also has a sexual assault awareness campaign, Denim Day, on Wednesday, April 27th.

According to the organization, Denim Day started in 1999 shortly after an Italian Supreme Court judge overturned a rape conviction because they believed the 18-year-old rape survivor’s jeans were so tight, her 46-year-old driving instructor couldn’t have removed them himself before sexually assaulting her. Therefore, she must have assisted in the removal of her jeans, implying consent. 

UCASA says the campaign serves to remind people that what people are wearing does not imply consent.

McKee has been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on seven counts of sexual exploitation of a minor.