Utah Airbnb host charged with sexually assaulting guest

A southern Utah man has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing a woman renting a room from him.

A southern Utah man has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing a woman renting a room from him. (Jinga, Shutterstock)


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Editor's note: All charges in this case were dismissed without prejudice in June "based upon the request of the victim" after prosecutors said the dismissal "appears to be in the best interest of justice."

HURRICANE, Washington County — An Airbnb host in southern Utah was charged Thursday with sexually assaulting a woman staying at his property.

Jeremy Ray Spence, 46, of Hurricane, is charged in 5th District Court with object rape, a first-degree felony, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

A 58-year-old woman reported to police on Wednesday that "Jeremy had come into the casita that she was renting and had sexually assaulted her. She stated she saw him come in and tell her she was going to enjoy this," according to a police booking affidavit.

Spence is accused of inappropriately touching the woman.

"There was other evidence of messages that showed the suspect was wanting to be in her room naked ... and that he was possibly under the influence of alcohol," the affidavit states.

When contacted by police, Spence refused to go to the police station for questioning. Officers went to his home and placed him under arrest.

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Pat Reavy, KSLPat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.

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