Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Micheal Jospeh Dayley was arrested after a 3½-hour SWAT standoff.
- Dayley allegedly held a woman captive and violated a protective order.
- This incident marks the second SWAT call involving Dayley in a month.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man who allegedly held a woman captive in her apartment and then engaged in a 3½-hour standoff with the Salt Lake City police SWAT team, while ingesting meth, was arrested Thursday night.
This is the second time in a month the SWAT team has been called to deal with Micheal Joseph Dayley.
Dayley, 40, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Thursday for investigation of aggravated kidnapping, being a restricted person in possession of a weapon, violating a protective order, interfering with police, and intoxication.
The incident began about 6:30 p.m. when police received a 911 call "about a man refusing to let a woman leave an apartment unit, located at 1925 W. North Temple," according to Salt Lake City police.
Dayley was allegedly not allowing a woman — whom he had a prior relationship with and who has an active protective order against him — to leave her apartment. When officers arrived, Dayley allegedly told them he was holding a "butcher knife" and would not open the door, a police booking affidavit states. The woman also called a friend and told the friend that Dayley "was standing in front of the door with a large kitchen knife in his hand, with a chair against the door."
About 7:30 p.m., the woman was able to escape the apartment "by climbing down a ladder to the balcony," the affidavit states. She told police that Dayley "would not allow her to leave the apartment because he is attempting to have people come to the apartment to 'sex traffic her.'"
Officers then used a drone to verify Dayley was still holding a knife. At that time, the SWAT team was called out. The woman also told police she saw Dayley "squirting a syringe of meth into his mouth," according to the affidavit, which noted police believed he was heavily intoxicated.
By 11 p.m., SWAT team members entered the apartment and were able to successfully get Dayley to surrender without further incident.
It wasn't the first time police have dealt with Dayley. He was arrested on Oct. 6 for a similar incident and charged in 3rd District Court with robbery, a second-degree felony; violating a continuous protective order and assault, third-degree felonies; and interfering with police, a class B misdemeanor.
In that case, the woman again had to get out of her apartment by climbing down from her balcony, according to charging documents. A SWAT team was called to the apartment after Dayley barricaded the door with the refrigerator and refused to come out, the charges state. He was eventually taken into custody without further incident.
In September, Dayley was charged in 3rd District Court with violating a continuous protective order, a third-degree felony; and assault, a class A misdemeanor. In that case, Dayley went to the woman's workplace and headbutted her, according to charging documents.
Prosecutors note in both cases that Dayley was served with a continuous protective order regarding the woman on Aug. 21.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
