This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A West Jordan SWAT team surrounded the home of a sexual abuse suspect, only to discover hours later that he had escaped.
West Jordan police Sgt. Dan Roberts said officers tried about 8 a.m. to serve a first-degree felony arrest warrant near 1980 W. 7420 South. The warrant accused the man of sexual abuse of a child.
One of the officers said he saw a man, who looked like the suspect, go back into his house. No one would answer the door or the phone, and officers discovered by 2 p.m. that no one was inside, Roberts said.
"It would appear that he went out some other way before we could enough officers there to set up a secure containment," Roberts said.
The man's neighbors had been placed under a voluntary evacuation during the standoff. Roberts said some of the neighbors opted to leave while others decided to shelter in place.
Reporter Michael McFall contributed to this story.
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