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- A Utah man was charged Tuesday with holding a security guard hostage in his car for two hours.
- Joshua Emmett Barnes is charged with aggravated kidnapping.
- Barnes, who has a criminal history, was arrested and sent to prison for a probation violation.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man was charged Tuesday with holding a security guard hostage in his own car for approximately two hours in a parking lot, despite the guard's attempts to get the attention of others.
Joshua Emmett Barnes, 37, who is believed to be homeless, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony.
On Jan. 7, a 33-year-old man was just finishing his shift as a security guard and walking to his car near 1594 W. North Temple when he was approached by Barnes who asked for a ride.
"(The guard) told Barnes, 'No,' and the two went back and forth for about 10 minutes," according to charging documents.
The guard then got into his car, but Barnes followed and got into the passenger seat and demanded that the man drive him to a nearby gas station.
"Barnes then produced a shard of glass and held it to (the man's) neck, again demanding to go to the gas station. (The man) pleaded with Barnes to put the glass down then told Barnes sternly that he wasn't going anywhere unless he put the glass down," the charges state.
After Barnes put the piece of glass in his lap, the man drove to the gas station. Once there, he "deliberately parked between two parking stalls to try to get the attention of the security guards," according to the charges.
One of the security guards greeted the man who "attempted to signal his distress," but the second security guard "did not catch on and walked away," the charges say. The victim attempted a second time to get the security guard's attention by showing him a note but was again unsuccessful. Police say Barnes and the victim then sat in the man's car in the parking lot for about two hours before Barnes finally got out and walked away.
The security guard waited two days before reporting to police what had happened. When officers interviewed the second security guard, he admitted that he "thought that it was a strange place for him to park" and that his friend "appeared sweaty and nervous" and also heard him say "'please don't leave'" but he didn't understand what was happening," the charges state.
He also confirmed that the man showed him a notebook "but all he saw was a drawing" and not a message for help.
Barnes, who was convicted of burglary in October, was released from the Salt Lake County Jail in December, but a warrant was issued for his arrest on Jan. 24 for failing to comply with the conditions of his probation. He was picked up on Jan. 28 and sent to the Utah State Prison.
"Additionally, the defendant has at least nine cases where the defendant has been charged or convicted or entered a plea of guilty within five years," prosecutors noted in court documents while requesting that Barnes be held without bail.
