This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Jordan • A 48-year-old Roy man accused of snatching a 5-year-old girl from the bedroom of her Sandy home made a brief initial court appearance Tuesday morning, after which his attorney said he may seek a mental-health evaluation.
Troy Mitchell Morley is charged in 3rd District Court with first-degree felony child kidnapping, second-degree felony burglary, class A misdemeanor criminal trespassing in a dwelling and class B misdemeanor interference with an arresting officer.
Morley appeared in court with his attorney, Roger Kraft, and a scheduling hearing was set for Dec. 2 before Judge Bruce Lubeck.
Meanwhile, he is being held at the Salt Lake County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail.
Outside of court, Kraft said he still needed to review the evidence, adding that a competency inquiry may be coming in the case.
"There may be an issue as to his mental capacity to participate in the proceedings against him," Kraft said. "I don't know yet."
Kraft would not comment about any details of the case, saying that he had just received the state's evidence against his client that morning.
The girl's parents were in court, but declined to speak to reporters afterward.
"They're doing well," prosecutor Nathan Evershed said of the alleged victim's family. "They are very happy that the defendant has a pretty good size bail, and that he's in custody. They're just trying to heal right now."
On Nov. 7 at 4:30 a.m., Morley — a stranger to the family — allegedly entered the home of Aaron and Stephanie Edson, near 10600 S. Rembrandt Lane (90 East), through an unlocked door.
In the basement of the home, Morley came across the sleeping girl and took her, police said.
Aaron Edson was awakened by a noise, then heard the voice of his stepdaughter, Lainey, down the hall, according to charging documents.
When Edson then heard the front door and screen door open, he went outside and started calling for the girl.
At the end of the driveway, Edson saw a man holding Lainey in his arms while walking away from the home, charges state.
Sandy police Sgt. Dean Carriger has said that Edson screamed words to the effect, "What are you doing, that's my daughter, you're not taking her," and confronted the man — later identified as Morley — who handed the girl over and ran away as the parents called 911.
Carriger said police set up a search perimeter and bloodhounds led officers to the home of a woman who lived several blocks away — which Morley had entered through a dog door.
Morley ran from the home, but police spotted him in a neighbor's yard, and he was subsequently arrested with the help of a police dog, which bit him several times.
During an interview with police, Morley "admitted he went inside the home" and asked the girl to come with him, charges state.
Police have said that the motive for the abduction and Morley's alleged intentions toward the child were not known.
Utah court records show Morley has a relatively minor criminal history, including a 2011 conviction for class B misdemeanor impaired driving in the South Salt Lake justice court, for which he was sentenced to 10 days in jail. He also has a 2009 conviction for class B misdemeanor impaired driving in the Syracuse justice court, for which he served two days in jail.
Twitter: @jm_miller