A Utah man has been arrested after he reportedly choked a child and threw him across the room after a church volleyball tournament then went into hiding with the help of his family to avoid police.
Nathan Jack Speaker, 42, was arrested on Monday after the March 8 assault at a Lehi meetinghouse for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, KUTV reported.
According to a probable cause document, Speaker, another adult, and five children — the other four Speaker’s own children, according to KTVX — were the only people still inside the hall where the tournament took place.
“As the children were knocking the volleyball around, the juvenile victim stepped in front of Nathan and hit the ball away from him,” the affidavit says, according to KUTV. “This caused Nathan to become upset and grab the juvenile victim by the throat. Nathan lifted the juvenile victim completely off the ground … and threw the juvenile victim across the room …”
The document says the child was thrown into another child, their heads colliding. The victim had a contusion to his eye and a scrape to his knee. The adult witness reported seeing the boy holding his throat and crying after the incident.
“The adult witness had to physically step between Nathan and the juvenile victim as Nathan began to reapproach the juvenile victim,” the affidavit states.
The other adult took the boy home to his mother, KTVX reported, and told her what happened.
Speaker reportedly sent an apology letter to the victim and his family, then texted the victim’s mother begging her not to report the incident to police. When he learned she had, he went into hiding,
“Nathan actively evaded apprehension by leaving his residence and staying at an unknown location,” the affidavit said, according to KUTV. “It took almost 4 days to locate Nathan and take him into custody. Family members knew where Nathan was staying but would not tell law enforcement.”
The afidavit noted Speaker’s history of violence, including domestic abuse charges that were dismissed after he entered a plea in abeyance that stipulated he would seek counseling, commit no further crimes, and pay a fine.
Speaker was booked into the Utah County jail on intentional aggravated child abuse and tampering with a witness charges. He’s being held without bond pending a hearing, KTVX said.
