Police: 15-year-old arrested in connection with Sandy sex assault
Mar 20, 2018, 7:13 PM | Updated: Mar 21, 2018, 10:34 pm
SANDY — A 15-year-old male has been arrested in connection with a case involving a jogger who police say was sexually assaulted on a trail in Sandy Monday afternoon.
Sandy Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen
Sandy Police Sgt. Jason Nielsen said the teen was arrested Tuesday and booked into the Salt Lake Valley Detention Center on suspicion of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of forcible sodomy — all first-degree felonies — and two counts of obstruction, a second-degree felony.
“This is a dangerous person, and when I say dangerous, I mean the act itself and anytime you face these charges, this was a bad situation,” Nielsen said.
The teen’s name is being withheld because he is a juvenile, according to Nielsen.
“I was caught off guard when it came to the age,” Nielsen said.
The Canyons School District confirms the 15-year-old suspect is a student of Alta High School but could not release further details.
The Canyons School District confirms the 15-year-old suspect is a student of Alta High School but could not release further details.
The assault happened at about 1 p.m. Monday, on a trail near 9980 S. 300 East, Nielsen said. A woman in her 40s told police she was jogging on the trail when someone grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.
Nielsen said the woman flagged down bystanders in the area after the attack, and they called police. The attacker fled the area before police were called.
The woman was transported to a hospital in fair condition, Nielsen added.
“This is a very heinous act that took place and it is very scary for a lot of people,” Nielsen said.
Sandy police had asked the public for help to identify and locate the attacker. Nielsen said Tuesday’s arrest was made “following tips from the public and diligent investigative police work by Sandy detectives.”
“In the last 24 hours, we have received multiple tips from the public regarding this incident and regarding the suspect. Through those tips from the public along with the diligent hard work of our investigators, we were able to find this suspect and actually take him into custody and put him into the juvenile detention center,” Nielsen told KSL Tuesday night.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will screen the case to determine formal charges.
“We were able to get a very dangerous person off the street because everybody’s help along with the investigators hard work,” Nielsen said.
Stay with KSLTV.com for updates on this developing story.
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