Pleasant Grove man sent to prison for threatening to kill girlfriend

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PROVO — A Pleasant Grove man has been sent to prison after admitting he threatened to harm or kill his girlfriend — including handcuffing her and putting a gun to her head.

Fourth District Judge James Brady sentenced Hector Ortega, 44, to a term of between one and 15 years in prison for aggravated kidnapping, a second-degree felony, and a term of zero to five years in prison for aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. He ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

Brady did not give Ortega credit for the time he has been incarcerated so far on these charges.

Police responded to a domestic violence complaint against Ortega on April 25, 2022, and said he tried to suffocate the woman with a pillow, choked her and forced her into a bathtub where he threatened to electrocute her. The woman had moved to Utah and began a romantic relationship with Ortega, but had recently told him she wanted to break up.

Ortega admitted he held his girlfriend in the home until police were outside. A man called police after he knocked on Ortega's door and Ortega pointed a gun at him, court documents state.

Deputy Salt Lake County district attorney Alexander Redmon asked the judge to order a continuous protective order, which would require Ortega to not contact the victim in the case, directly or indirectly, while he is in prison and afterward. Brady asked for the terms of the protective order to be reviewed by Ortega and his attorney before he signs the documents.