New charges filed against man suspected of kidnapping teen

New charges filed against man suspected of kidnapping teen

(File/Trent Nelson)


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HERRIMAN — A Draper man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old Herriman girl and harboring her from police has been ordered to stand trial for kidnapping and a variety of newly filed sexual abuse charges.

Ten first-degree felonies were filed Friday against 56-year-old Angel Vizuet Garcia — the same day as a hearing on the evidence against him was held stemming from the original kidnapping charges. The new charges include four counts of sodomy on a child, two counts of rape of a child and four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child.

The charges are in addition to the two counts of child kidnapping, a first-degree felony; obstructing justice, a second-degree felony; and reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor, which were filed shortly after the girl went missing for two days last year.

All of the counts involve the same alleged victim, though they date back to 2008. According to the charges filed Friday, the abuse began with inappropriate touching and oral sex sometime between 2008 and 2012, and it escalated to rape in February 2012.

The girl was having a sleepover with Garcia's daughter when the rape occurred for the first time, the charges state.

In the kidnapping incident, Garcia is accused of picking up the then-13-year-old girl early on Jan. 9, 2013, after she sneaked out of her bedroom window and called him with a prepaid cellphone that he had given her several weeks earlier. Police say he took her to his Draper home.

New charges
  • Sodomy on a child (4 counts)
  • Rape of a child (2 counts)
  • Aggravated sexual abuse of a child (4 counts)

Over the next 2 ½ days — as more than 1,000 volunteers scoured Herriman searching for the girl — Garcia allegedly kept her hidden at his house. Police say that, at one point, she hid in a bedroom while officers were at Garcia's door.

Unified police asked Garcia for permission to search his home, but he told them he had to pick up his daughter from school and told them to come back later, according to charging documents. He allegedly told them he hadn't seen the missing girl since July of 2012.

After the officers left, Garcia pulled his van into the garage, loaded the teenager inside and took her to a field, police said. She was only wearing pajamas and socks at the time.

"It was extremely cold during the time (the girl) was left in the field," the charges state.

The abuse took place again on Jan. 10, 2013, while the girl was missing, the charges state. Late on the night of Jan. 10, the teenager asked Garcia to drop her off at Wal-Mart, 11328 S. Jordan Gateway (400 West) in South Jordan, where she called her family to be picked up.

The second kidnapping count stems from an incident in September 2012 when the girl's parents couldn't find her and she said she had been staying in a neighbor's RV. Police say Garcia picked the girl up and took her to his home that time as well.

Judge Bruce Lubeck determined there was enough evidence to order Garcia to stand trial on all 14 counts at the close of Friday's hearing.

An arraignment has been set for March 17.

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