This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Prosecutors have charged a man for allegedly stabbing a woman and her dog in her Salt Lake City apartment.
The 33-year-old Taylorsville man was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with aggravated burglary, which is a first-degree felony that carries a potential life sentence.
He was also charged with aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, obstruction of justice, cruelty to an animal, two other counts of aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, and use or possession of drug paraphernalia, which are a range of lesser offenses.
Police have not released any motive for the attack.
On Wednesday afternoon, the 32-year-old woman woke up in her apartment at 850 S. 400 West when she heard her front door open. Her dog began to bark uncontrollably and she noticed a man with a scarf on his face in her bedroom doorway, according to the charges.
"The man came at her and struck her in the head with a large stick or club," the charges read. "She fell backwards onto her bed, and he continued to hit her with the object."
The assailant then allegedly punched her in the ribs, and the woman later realized that she had been stabbed. She pretended to pass out, and he got off her and walked out of the room, according to the charges.
"She then heard her dog was in distress, and she ran out of the apartment as the man was, she believed, punching her dog," the charges read.
She ran to the apartment office for help and was taken to the hospital, where she underwent emergency surgery for a punctured liver and other injuries. The dog, which had been stabbed as well, was taken to a veterinarian and is expected to recover.
Two people who work at the apartment complex tried to detain the man, but he lifted up his shirt and implied a black handle was a weapon, and allegedly told them to get out of his way, according to the charges. One of the employees watched the man drive away in a Subaru and allegedly almost hit the second employee.
The woman's husband said he recognized the suspect's car in photos that one of the employees took, and suspected the man was an acquaintance of a friend.
"He contacted his friend who verified the car belonged to [the suspect]," the charges read. "His friend stated [the suspect] contacted him saying he was in trouble, and they agreed to meet at a bar."
A police sergeant went to a bar at 3000 S. Highland Drive and found the same Subaru that was in the photos, but noticed that the license plates had been switched, according to the charges. Police arrested the suspect, and allegedly found a glass marijuana pipe in his pocket, the charges add.
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