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VINEYARD — A Vineyard man was arrested Wednesday after police say his wife called 911 reporting that he had sexually assaulted her.
The woman called 911 while her husband wasn't home. The woman reported that the previous night her husband had pulled her into a bedroom, hurting her wrist, then forcibly removed her clothing and sexually assaulted her, said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
The next morning, the woman told police she had been in the kitchen when her husband came in, forcibly pulled her shirt down and bit her, Cannon said.
A forensic examination identified a bite mark and wrist injuries consistent with the woman's story, according to Cannon.
KSL has chosen not to release the name of the man in order to keep the victim's identity private.
The woman told officers her husband had groped or sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions and that she had told him the contact was unwanted, including pushing him and kicking him to try to get him off of her, according to a police affidavit.
The woman had called police to report abuse a few weeks earlier but chose not to press charges at the time, the affidavit states. Police reviewed the report from that incident, where the woman had said her husband made sexual advances without her consent and that she had made clear the contact was unwanted.
Because the man has no family in Utah, the woman told police she worried he would flee to China, and that he might destroy her passport and identification leaving her unable to work or find a place to live, the affidavit states. She also said she was fearful of her husband returning home after police spoke to him.
When police interviewed the husband Thursday, the man told police he had grabbed the woman's wrist as he tried to convince her to sleep in his bed because they have separate bedrooms, according to the affidavit. The man also told police the woman's skin shows red marks easily and that he had stopped his advances when she said no.
The man was booked into Utah County Jail for investigation of forcible sexual abuse and domestic violence. Agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have placed a hold on the man, Cannon said. No formal charges have been filed against him.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
