RIVERTON, Utah (ABC4) – A man has been arrested on Thursday for allegedly drugging and sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl.
Riverton Police say the suspect is Calan Nelson Clifford, 30.
Authorities say Clifford is accused of sexually abusing and providing drugs to a minor repeatedly. Police also say Nelson is a suspect in another similar case involving an underage girl. Both minor females are former patients at a Provo behavioral health facility where Clifford used to work at.
Officers say Clifford first contacted the 14-year-old girl through Snapchat around Dec. 2021 through Jan. 2022.
The victim said Clifford introduced himself as a 20-year-old while he was fully aware that she was 14 years old. The victim said Clifford promised to provide her with “stuff” if she agreed to hang out with him, arresting documents show.
The victim says her first contact with Clifford began sometime during late Jan. 2022 to early Feb. 2022. Clifford picked up the victim from school one day and drove her to a church parking lot. While there, the victim says she engaged in sexual relations with Clifford despite not wanting to. Clifford gave her some nicotine and marijuana after the incident, police said.
During the second meeting, Clifford picked up the victim from her apartment and drove her to his home. Once again, Clifford engaged in sexual relations with her despite her telling him “no.” The victim said she just wanted the incident to be over so she could return to school and return home safely, according to arresting documents.
On the third meeting, Clifford picked the girl up from school and gave her three water bottle caps filled with Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB) which is commonly known as the “date rape drug.”
The victim recalls feeling “fuzzy” while falling in and out of consciousness for several hours. When she woke up, she found herself undressed inside Clifford’s truck, police wrote in arresting documents.
The girl’s mother was able to locate her using smartphone GPS tracking and discovered the girl inside Clifford’s truck. The mother took the girl to a local hospital and immediately reported the sexual assault to Riverton Police.
Clifford is classified as a “repeat offender” and has been arrested on 14 charges including human trafficking of a child, sexual exploitation of a minor, enticing a minor by internet or text and more.
He’s currently booked at the Salt Lake County Jail.
