Ex-Policeman Who Became Crisis Worker Accused Of Raping Runaway Teen

Edward Cann could face up to life in prison if convicted of the numerous charges against him.

July 28, 2021

[Paul J. Richards/AFP via Getty Images]

By: Aaron Rasmussen

A former police officer in Utah is accused of harboring a 14-year-old runaway girl in his apartment and having sex with her.

On June 29, the alleged victim ran away from home and phoned Edward Michael Cann, Salt Lake City’s KSTU reported, citing a probable cause document.

Surveillance video allegedly shows Cann, 29, picking the girl up at a West Valley City mall.

Cann served on the West Valley Police Department for over three years, most recently as a detective, and resigned for unknown reasons last November. He then reportedly got a job at Salt Lake Behavior Hospital as a mental health technician. He met the teenager while assigned to the youth unit as a crisis worker, according to charging documents.

A police affidavit states the girl alleged she spent four days at Cann’s apartment and the two engaged in “consensual sexual intercourse” up to several times a day, KSL-TV reported. In Utah, anyone under the age of 18 cannot legally consent to sexual activities with an adult.

Cann allegedly told the girl to leave his home after a former West Valley City police colleague who is currently a sergeant with Taylorsville police asked him why authorities were trying to locate him, The Salt Lake Tribune reported. The sergeant has not been accused of any crimes but is currently under investigation in connection to the case, according to a Unified police spokesperson.

Police found the runaway teenager on July 4 staying with a friend in Eagle Mountain.

The affidavit alleges Cann, reportedly a U.S. Navy veteran, “recently was in the hospital for PTSD.”

Cann was booked into the Salt Lake City Jail and is being held without bail. He currently faces multiple charges, including harboring a runaway, obstructing justice, and eight felony counts of rape.

If convicted, he could receive a sentence of up to life in prison.

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