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WEST VALLEY CITY — The former administrator of a popular Facebook group used for inviting singles to parties — a man already facing numerous charges of sexually assaulting women — faces new criminal charges after another alleged victim stepped forward, this time in Salt Lake County.
Kevin Linford, 46, of West Jordan, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with four counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
Linford already faces charges in Davis County of rape and two counts of object rape, first-degree felonies; six counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; aggravated kidnapping, a third-degree felony; and lewdness, a class B misdemeanor.
His new charges stem from an incident in 2016 at the Westerner Club, 3360 S. Redwood Road, that wasn't reported until recently. A woman in her 40s contacted West Valley police on Oct. 18, about a week after Linford made an appearance in 2nd District Court where more than a dozen women — many of them survivors of sexual assault — held a rally in front of the Farmington courthouse.
According to his new charges, a woman was at the Westerner when Linford, whom she had previously met, offered to walk with her inside the club to help her get away from a man making unwanted advances. She told police, however, that she later found out Linford "was a member of a group who called themselves the 'Wolfpack,'" the charges state.
When the two were alone in the club, Linford grabbed and inappropriately touched the woman, according to the charging documents.
The woman's husband found out what had allegedly happened and contacted South Jordan police the next day. That department told them to contact West Valley police because the club is located in their jurisdiction, but told them that without any evidence, there would likely not be any police action, the charges state. The woman says she went back to the club asking about surveillance video footage.
But when she was told there was none, the woman said she decided not to report the incident to West Valley police at that time because she did not believe anything would happen.
Prosecutors say while this new case was being investigated, "the state reviewed two additional matters that occurred at the Westerner." The statute of limitations for filing criminal charges connected to those matters has expired, the charges say, but add that "the actions of the defendant are criminal and cannot be minimized. The victims of those two cases reported the same conduct and modus operandi (that the woman) reported."
Prosecutors say they are currently reviewing additional potential charges against Linford that they anticipate filing and have requested that he be held in jail without the possibility of posting bail.
"(Linford) has shown, by his own actions over the last six years, that he is a predator to women across the state of Utah and should he be released from custody, he would constitute a serious and significant threat to his past victims specifically and to the community in general," prosecutors wrote in the court documents.
A judge in Davis County has already denied bail to Linford for the charges he faces there. His next court hearing in that case is scheduled for Dec. 6.
