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PROVO -- Charges have been filed against the man accused of kidnapping and raping a woman near Utah Lake last month. The woman pretended to call her sister, but really dialed 911, which allowed police to rescue her.
Jake Machan, 25, was booked into jail on Feb. 4. Using clues from the caller and GPS from her cell phone, sheriff's deputies arrived to the location to find a young woman in a vehicle with Machan, near Utah Lake.
The woman carried on what sounded like a normal conversation with her sister, but the 911 dispatcher felt something was wrong. When the woman was found, she told police she had been kidnapped and raped.
The woman told police she and Machan were acquaintances and had met through a mutual friend a month earlier. She said Machan took her to buy some cigarettes and gave her something to drink, but whatever she drank soon made her sick and extremely tired.
Machan's arrest led prosecutors to file felony charges against him.
"There have been three charges filed -- all first-degree felonies. One is aggravated kidnapping, and two sexual assault charges," said Utah County prosecutor Chad Grunander. "The case is in its early stages right now. Today was set for his first appearance to be in court."
Machan did not show up in court Monday, but that is because he is being held in the Salt Lake County jail on unrelated charges. His attorney says he is looking at the evidence in the case and is talking to prosecutors about where the case will go next.
Machan's case will return to court next month, and a date for a preliminary hearing will likely be set.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
