Man, this is disgusting. Any time you hear of child abuse it is upsetting but this is a first for me to hear about a man using the local skatepark as a net. According to police reports “Keegan Nydegger coerced teenage boys he met at skate parks to expose themselves to him by offering them gifts or threatening to report their families’ citizenship status.” I wouldn’t expect anything less of someone who takes advantage of children. According to Keegan Nydegger’s Facebook page he is a resident of Taylorsville and a graduate of Cottonwood High School. He is 22 years old.
Keegan Nydegger, 22, was charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and one count of forcible sodomy, all first-degree felonies; and single counts of forcible sexual abuse and enticing a minor, both second-degree felonies. Nydegger also faces one count of sexual battery and six counts of lewdness involving a child, all class A misdemeanors.
The reason I keep using his name is because I don’t want you to forget it. Ever. Eventually, these guys get out of jail and usually it doesn’t change their behavior. By the time Keegan Nydegger gets out of jail you might have a child and you need to be aware.
If you are a kid and you are reading this all I can say is follow your gut. It is usually right and if you feel like someone is creepy, they almost always are. Do not be afraid to offend someone and not all adults deserve your respect or attention. I’m gonna let you in on something that I didn’t learn until I was an adult. Most adults are old versions of the kids they were. So if your friend is a screwup, most likely they will be an old screwup when they become an “adult.” If they are creepy, they will get creepier. Finally, if you see someone your age who might be in a bad situation, tell an adult, and in my experience teachers and parents are a good start. I don’t care what the person says they will do to your family or friends if you tell on them; you need to tell. And if you don’t have a teacher or parent that will look out for you, follow your gut once again – you know who is really there for you.
Now for the parents. We gotta step up our game and weed these creeps out. There have to be parents who saw Keegan Nydegger hanging out with these young boys. Kids talk. There had to have been parents who heard things or whose kids said this guy was weird. What happened to protecting the herd? There are people out there that we run into and subconsciously keep our kids away from and it’s time we make sure the other parents do it as well. Please forward this story on to other parents out there and make sure that your kids are informed with a plan of action on how to handle these situations.
(These views are solely mine, Kerry, and do not necessarily represent Salty Peaks. Forward all email to Simon(at)saltypeaks.com)
