Editor’s note: This story discusses sexual violence. If you need assistance or resources, Utah’s 24-hour sexual violence crisis and information hotline is available at 1-888-421-1100.
Salt Lake City Police arrested a registered sex offender for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman with mental disabilities on the city’s west side, according to court records.
The man, 58, entered the room of a woman who, police said, has “diminished mental capacity and suffers from epilepsy.”
The victim told police that the man started massaging her and told her to take off her pants before assaulting her with his mouth and fingers, records show. The man and victim were not in a relationship, police added.
The victim told police that she had not verbalized that the man’s actions were unwanted because she was afraid. Police said the man has admitted to the actions and that he “knew what he had done was wrong due to her diminished mental capacity.”
The man was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, and a judge ordered him held without bail because he allegedly assaulted the woman while he was on parole.
A recent study found just one in 10 sexual assault cases in Salt Lake and Utah counties result in a conviction.
“The Salt Lake City Police Department ensures survivors of sexual assault receive support and victim advocacy and are kept informed about the criminal justice process at all stages,” the department said in a news release Monday.
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