Content warning: This article contains information about child sexual abuse. Readers are advised to use their own discretion. Report child sexual abuse to local law enforcement and contact the DCFS 24/7 hotline: 855-323-3237. For more information, please visit Utah government website.
Tooele, Utah (ABC4) — A Tooele man is behind bars for allegedly sexually assaulting his niece, who walked three miles home in the middle of the night to escape him.
A 38-year-old man, whose identity ABC4 is not releasing to protect the victim, has been charged with four first-degree felonies of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.
According to court documents, on December 31, a woman contacted the Tooele Police Department to report that her 10-year-old daughter had been sexually abused by her uncle. The victim was taken to hospital for a sexual assault examination.
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After the examination, the victim told investigators what happened. She explained that the night before, she had spent the night at her uncle’s house. The 10-year-old girl said she fell asleep on his lap and woke up to find him touching her inappropriately.
This escalated into him sexually abusing her and she said she “didn’t know what to do” but asked him to stop and leave. The victim went to the guest room, lay down and fell asleep.
The 10-year-old girl woke up again to find her uncle sexually abusing her. She told police she was scared and asked him to leave the bedroom. As her uncle left, he allegedly told the victim “don’t tell anyone” and said she “was his favorite niece.”
The 10-year-old girl sneaked out of the house after her uncle fell asleep. She walked three miles back to her home around 1 a.m. in very “dark and cold” weather. The victim knocked on the siblings’ window but then walked to the front door because the siblings were asleep.
When her family came to the door, the 10-year-old girl said she “started crying” and told them what had happened. Neighbor video footage confirmed the victim was walking home in the middle of the night.
The interviewer asked the victim why she left and she responded “she believed [her uncle] She will feel unsafe if you touch her again. “
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The Tooele Police Department came to the uncle’s house and asked him to come to the police station. During the interview, he allegedly “described much of the night in detail,” but when asked about the victims, he said only that they “watched a movie, made popcorn, and went to bed.”
The officer conducting the interview asked about the sexual abuse allegations, to which the uncle responded: “No, no, no, no. It’s disgusting. Why would I do this?”
As the officer continued questioning, the uncle asked for a lawyer. He was arrested and is being held without bail at the Tooele County Jail.
Accusations are just accusations. All persons arrested are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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