Charges: Stranger grabbed young girl at wedding reception and took her to a dark room

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — A no-bail arrest warrant has been issued for a Kearns man accused of taking a girl at a wedding reception into a dark room before the girl was able to break free and get help.

Aaron Scott Wensel, 27, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with child kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse of a child, first-degree felonies.

On Oct. 7, a woman was at a wedding reception with her 9-year-old daughter. While the mother was helping clean up, Wensel began playing with several children including the girl, according to charging documents. Wensel “is a stranger to (the girl),” the charges state.

“(The girl) stated while her mom was cleaning up, she went to the drinking fountain in the hallway. (She) stated Wensel picked her up and carried her into a ‘scary’ dark room,” the girl later told police, the charges state. “(She) stated Wensel laid her on the floor and (inappropriately touched her).”

The girl said she then kicked Wensel and ran out of the room.

When police questioned Wensel, he admitted to picking up the girl and taking her into a room, the charges state. He said the girl was “distracting” and that he wanted to “do bad things to her,” according to charging documents.

In requesting that Wensel be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail pending trial, prosecutors noted that police learned Wensel was investigated in 2011 for a similar incident when he allegedly took a 5-year-old girl into a playroom and inappropriately touched her.