By Linda Kor Following a four-month investigation, a Holbrook man has been arrested for crimes against children. At 5:10 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 6, Holbrook Police arrested Daniel Elliot Hayden, 39, of Holbrook for sexual exploitation of a minor, luring a minor for sexual exploitation and misconduct involving weapons by a prohibited possessor. Hayden was booked into the Navajo County Jail. According to Police Chief Nathan Christensen, the department received information that Hayden had numerous pornographic images involving children on his phone and that he had lured a local 16-year-old girl for exploitation, although none of the images seized reportedly involve the juvenile. The investigation was led by Officer Heidi Hunsaker with assistance from the Criminal Investigations Unit. During the four-month investigation, Officer Hunsaker conducted interviews, and authored and executed multiple search warrants. Weapons and electronic communication devices, as well as digital storage devices were seized as evidence. While only one count has been submitted for each charge, 271 images were found in Hayden’s possession involving girls ranging in age from 5 to 16. The Navajo County Attorney’s Office will make the determination as to how many of the images Hayden will be prosecuted for based on the evidence. Child pornography offenses are a Class 2 felony under state law. A conviction for possession of an image or a sex act carries 10 years in prison for each offense. Chief Christensen said, “I commend Officer Hunsaker for her devotion and perseverance with this case. Having spent five years as a detective assigned to sex crimes, I’m well aware of how difficult and tedious the investigation of child sex crimes is. Officer Hunsaker did a great job throughout this investigation.” The Holbrook Police Department reminds the public that suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
