Utah man faces 24 charges in domestic violence case stretched over two years

BLUFFDALE, Utah — A man has been charged with over 24 crimes including 11 felonies in a domestic violence case where he abused a woman and wouldn’t let her leave the home by herself for over two years.

Police told KSL.com it was one of the “worst cases of domestic violence they had ever seen.”

The man was identified in charging documents as Troy Anthony Brinar of Bluffdale.

Brinar is being charged after physically and emotionally abusing a woman, even medicating her at times, and not allowing her to leave the house.

The woman reported to officers she had not been “permitted to leave the house without [Brinar] for over two and a half years.”

Brinar is being charged with one count of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, six counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, two counts of rape, two counts of surreptitious administering of a certain substance, five counts of violation of a protective order, one count of child abuse involving physical injury, two counts of assault causing substantial bodily injury, two counts of criminal mischief, and one count of assault.

Man arrested: didn’t allow woman to leave home for over 2 years police say

The investigation began when a woman came in for surgery on her wrist and told the hospital staff “she was in an abusive situation at home and wanted help leaving.” The woman told a hospital staff member that Brinar had broken her wrist when she defended herself against Brinar’s kick. The information was passed on to police. Hospital staff also noticed Brinar “acted overly
possessive and controlling and was confrontational with hospital staff.”

Shortly after that time, police spoke with family members of the woman hoping to get in contact with her, but both family members said “Brinar was very controlling.” One family member even admitted they hadn’t seen the woman they were related to in over a year.

A family member told police they had visited the home recently and noticed “new holes and damage to the drywall that appeared consistent with an adult human thrown
through the drywall.”

In addition, this family member told police the door had three lock mechanisms and the keyholes were covered with duct tape on the outside, making it difficult to leave.

Police obtained a search warrant and were able to interview the woman alone.

At the home, they found evidence of both the locks and damage within the home.

The woman told police that shortly after she moved in with Brinar in 2019, he confiscated her phone, only allowing her to use it under his supervision.

Brinar also had cameras placed in almost every room of the home to continue to observe her when he left the home.

According to charging documents, on multiple occasions, when the woman  attempted to leave the home to flee from the abusive situation, “Brinar would pull her back into the house, throw her onto the floor, threaten to kill her, or destroy the cell phone.”

Brinar also had full control over all of the woman’s financial accounts and refused to allow her access to her accounts or her debit cards.

She explained at one point Brinar had even driven her car to another town and abandoned it there to prevent her from leaving.

Brinar also forced the woman to take medications that were not prescribed to her, for “continued compliance,” court documents state.

At one point in January 2022, Brinar punched her so hard on her ear that she continues to hear ringing and it causes her pain.

The woman said during a fight about six months ago, she broke her wrist when she blocked Brinar’s kick to her head with her hand. However, she did not get medical attention for over two months.

When police spoke to the surgeon, he told them the injury was a result of trauma and was over two months old. He said “the injury could result in severe pain, arthritis, and
disability, and that the injury is ‘potentially devastating to hand and wrist function.'”

Many incidents of physical and sexual abuse were in the presence of two children in the home.

On one occasion, Brinar became angry with the six-year-old child and beat them with a belt, leaving visible bruising.

Brinar was booked into Salt Lake County Jail and will be held without bail with documents stating he would “pose a significant danger to the victim and her minor children in his case.”

Court documents state Brinar reached out to the woman from jail apologizing and saying he loved her.