- Joshua Solis, 43, faces multiple charges including child kidnapping and aggravated assault.
- Solis allegedly threatened visitors with a gun and barricaded them inside his house.
- He was arrested Sept. 3; prosecutors cite his violent criminal history, calling him a habitual violent offender.
PAYSON — A Payson man who prosecutors say has a "violent criminal history" and was released from the Utah State Prison on parole in December is once again facing kidnapping charges.
Joshua Solis, 43, was charged Monday in 4th District Court with child kidnapping, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, three counts of aggravated assault and being a restricted person in possession of a gun, all first-degree felonies. Those charges come with penalty enhancements, if convicted, for being a habitual violent offender, according to court records.
Solis was also charged with drug possession, a class A misdemeanor, and making a threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor.
On Sept. 1, three people went to a Payson residence where Solis was at, allegedly to help him with a mental health issue, according to charging documents. "When they arrived and entered the residence, (Solis) slammed the door shut behind them," the charges state.
This caused one of the visitors to become alarmed, and he told his girlfriend and her 8-year-old child to leave.
Solis, however, "told them he would shoot them if they left," according to the charges. When the man tried to get the woman and child to leave a second time, Solis "chased after them and stopped them. (He) pulled out a gun from behind his back, pointed it at the ground, and told the three they were not free to leave and to go back inside."
Solis then took the woman's phone so she couldn't call for help and "barricaded the door by jamming a ladder underneath the door handle," the charges state.
He later spoke on the phone with a woman who was incarcerated in the Utah County Jail and told her he would burn the house down and "kill all officers that came to the residence" if she contacted police, while also saying there would be a "bloodbath," according to court documents.
Police were notified, however, and listened to recorded jailhouse calls. Officers called Solis and negotiated with him, and he allowed the three others to leave the house, the charges state.
He wasn't arrested until Sept. 3 and allegedly "took the gun apart and spread it throughout the county" during that time, according to the charges.
Prosecutors say Solis "has a violent criminal history" and was sentenced to the Utah State Prison in 2014 and 2019 for aggravated assault and burglary. In each of those cases, he was originally charged with aggravated kidnapping, according to court records.
