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SALT LAKE CITY — A no-bail arrest warrant was issued Friday for a Clinton man with a lengthy criminal history accused most recently of stabbing a man and kidnapping his girlfriend.
Daniel Duane Etherington II, 46, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a second-degree felony. Etherington was arrested in Oregon following a pursuit with state troopers and local police in that state, and as of Friday remained in a jail in Oregon as Salt Lake police attempted to have him extradited back to Utah.
About 3:45 a.m. Wednesday, a woman living in an apartment near 1450 S. West Temple opened her door believing her boyfriend had arrived. Instead, Etherington was there, a man she had gone on a date with once about eight months ago and who has continued to stalk and threaten her ever since, charging documents state.
Etherington grabbed the woman by her hair and said, "I am taking you to kill you," the charges state.
The woman's boyfriend arrived in a taxi a short time later and saw his girlfriend being dragged by her hair. He ran to help her, prompting Etherington to pull out a knife and stab the man multiple times, according to the charges.
Both the man and his girlfriend got back into the taxi, which took them to a local hospital. Police say the man, who was stabbed in the chest, suffered a collapsed lung.
A police detective was able to speak to Etherington on the phone on Thursday. During their conversation, Etherington told the officer that "God has called him to be with (the woman) and he must obey that command," the charging documents say.
Etherington refused to surrender to police, however, and detectives attempted to locate him by "pinging" his phone.
"Etherington also does not just pose a flight risk but is currently avoiding arrest by leaving the state of Utah after this crime," investigators wrote.
Police were able to track him to Oregon, and with the help of authorities there, have taken him into custody.
Troopers spotted Etherington's vehicle about 9 a.m. Friday on I-84 near La Grande, between Baker City and Pendleton. Etherington refused to pull over and a chase ensued, according to a statement from Oregon State Police.
"The suspect attempted to avoid having his tires spiked near milepost 218, turned around and began traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes, striking an OSP patrol vehicle. Etherington then exited Interstate 84 and traveled cross country in open fields," according to the statement.
Etherington eventually crashed into a ditch and was arrested with assistance from the Umatilla Tribal Police Department and Umatilla County Sheriff's Office. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor injuries before being booked into the Umatilla County Jail. In addition to the warrant out of Salt Lake City, he was arrested for investigation locally of eluding police, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and hit and run.
Prosecutors also noted in charging documents that Etherington "has a very long history of assaultive and destructive conduct" and is currently charged in separate cases of assault and fleeing from police.
Etherington's long criminal history includes an arrest in 2009 when police say he made terroristic threats at Salt Lake Community College. Formal charges in that case were ultimately not filed. In October, Etherington was arrested and accused of stabbing a dog to death. He was charged with aggravated cruelty to an animal, but the case was dismissed three weeks ago when prosecutors were unable to proceed with the case, according to court documents.
In 2004, Etherington was sentenced to a term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison for a conviction of robbery, according to court records.
