Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
TOOELE — A Grantsville man with ties to the car racing community in Utah is accused of sexually abusing an aspiring teenage race car driver and threatening to ruin her career if she told anyone.
David Joe Miller, 43, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with two counts of rape, a first-degree felony; four counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and three counts of witness tampering, a third-degree felony. He was taken into custody on Thursday after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Both Miller and the victim rented garage space at the Utah Motorsports Campus in Erda, Tooele County. The girl wanted to be a professional race car driver and her "entire life was about racing," according to charging documents.
For a little over a year, police and prosecutors say Miller "groomed" the girl by helping her and her family with race-related matters, leading the girl's family to believe Miller was someone who would help with their daughter's racing career.
In September of 2019, Miller raped the 17-year-old girl at the racing complex despite her telling him "no," the charges allege. Two days later, police say he forcefully did it again.
Later that month, Miller gave the girl $100 on two separate occasions. "He told her, in substance, it was her 'hush money, ransom money, and sugar money' because (she) had not said anything about what had happened," according to the charges.
He later gave the girl a phone "so he could communicate with her without anyone monitoring," the charges state. "After the assaults, in addition to the money and the phone, (Miller) would tell (the girl) not to say anything. (He) stated to (her), in substance, that (Miller's significant other) 'didn't need to know about this,' and 'neither do your parents. I'll lose my kids. Your parents won't react well. Your racing will get taken away. You'll lose sponsors.'"
Prosecutors say additional criminal charges are also pending in Idaho where Miller is accused of taking the girl to a hotel room and sexually assaulting her.
