Quick-acting students guide Murray police to sex offender

MURRAY — A registered sex offender was arrested Monday after police say he tried to expose himself to a bus full of high school students.

Investigators Tuesday were praising the students for getting an extremely detailed description of the man and his vehicle and remembering the license plate number.

"They had a full description," said Murray police detective Kenny Bass. "They did a great job. The ability to see him for just a few minutes and gather that much information ... you just can't get a better description of a suspect in a vehicle."

Justin Blair Andersen, 32, was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of three counts of lewdness, all misdemeanors.

The incident happened about 11:15 a.m. Monday at the intersection of 4800 South and State Street. A school bus from Murray High School was next to another vehicle, when the driver of that vehicle held up a sign, "Do you want to see my penis?" said Bass.

"He then reaches down and starts messing with his belt. Fortunately the bus made a left turn and he kept going straight before anything else could happen," he said.

At least one student immediately called her father on her cell phone and told him what happened. The father called police. Based on the very accurate descriptions of both the man and vehicle, police were able to locate the man at his house about 45 minutes later and arrest him, Bass said.

Andersen was convicted in Vacaville, Calif., in 2001 of indecent exposure. When he came to Utah, he was placed on the state sex offender registry due to his previous conviction.

Bass said the arrest wouldn't have been possible without the students' work.

"It was an amazing job done by the high school kids," he said.

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E-mail: preavy@desnews.com

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