A Utah man was arrested for violating protective orders after police received a text from a woman who said she had been “kidnapped by ex, held captive, was at [address], now in white van.”
Police said they went to the St. George address, which was the man’s home, in the text but found no one. When they pinged the woman’s cell phone, they were able to track it down o a location south of St. George “in the desert area of Arizona” and found the woman.
According to an arrest affidavit for the man, officers “were unable to confirm there was any issue” from talking with the woman, but the tracked the man down and detained him.
The woman “would not provide any information regarding any crime occurring.”
“I noted based on my training and experience, that [the woman] showed signs of trauma, as she would not make eye contact with me, appearing scared to talk,” the affidavit read.
The officers requested a female officer to speak with the victim, who told that officers she was the person who contacted 911 but when asked for specifics, “shut down and would not provide any information.” Officers noted the woman had “burn marks near her wrists as if bindings were used on her arms.”
The affidavit says the victim began to sob when officers conducted a lethality test — and assessment aimed at determining the risk of an abuser fatally attacking a victim.
The victim had three active protective orders against the man, so he was arrested for violating those orders. Police did not name him to protect the victim’s identity.
