Ryan Gary Patch, a 28-year-old from Dayton, Ohio, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and will serve a lifetime term of supervised release for kidnapping and sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl he met online. The sentencing took place in St. George, Utah, where U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen also ordered Patch to pay over $11,000 in restitution to the victim.
Patch pleaded guilty earlier this year to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. According to court records and hearing statements, the case began on July 24, 2024, when Cedar City Police received a report about an abducted California teenager being transported through Utah.
The victim was taken from her home in California after Patch destroyed her phone and instructed her to erase electronic devices and social media accounts. She managed to contact her family using a newly created Instagram account on an iPad that Patch had given her. This allowed police to locate them in Cedar City.
When officers stopped the car matching the description provided by the victim, they found Patch asleep in the front seat and the girl in the back seat. Patch claimed she was his sister but police confirmed her identity as the missing teen after speaking with her. Officers arrested Patch at the scene and discovered child sexual abuse materials involving the victim on an iPad inside the vehicle.
Investigators searched Snapchat accounts belonging to both Patch and the victim. These contained child pornography depicting the victim as well as evidence of plans for Patch to pick up the girl. Further investigation revealed explicit communications between Patch and other accounts that appeared linked to underage minors.
“It was only due to the victim’s technological savvy and quick thinking that Patch’s terrifying plan was undone. Nonetheless, his abduction of the victim has inflicted trauma no one should have to endure,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. Communities are safer with defendants like Patch behind bars, and it is our hope that the victim and her family can continue to heal knowing justice is being served.”
The case was investigated by several agencies including Utah Department of Public Safety: Utah Highway Patrol (UHP), State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and Cedar City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Burton and Brady Wilson prosecuted this case for the District of Utah.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice aimed at fighting child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local authorities.
