Man accused of sexually assaulting teen girl walking home from Taylorsville carnival

WEST VALLEY CITY — A man is accused of sexually assaulting a teen girl walking home from a community carnival in 2019 and then giving her $200.

Apolinar Gutierrez, 53, was arrested Tuesday for investigation of rape and two counts of forcible sexual abuse.

On June 28, 2019, a 16-year-old girl went to the Taylorsville Dayzz festival with her family. The girl said she was under the influence of marijuana and didn't want her mother to get mad at her, so she stayed after her family left the carnival, according to a police booking affidavit. Sometime between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. the girl started walking home.

As she was walking near 2700 West and 4100 South, a car with front seats and no backseat drove by. The teen told police that "she didn't remember if she got in the car or if she was forced into the car, but remembers being in the car. She also remembered the suspect," the affidavit states.

The girl says she was sexually assaulted in the back area of the car.

"The next thing (she) remembered was that she was home. She went to the bathroom and began crying while she was showering. When she was done showering, she went through her purse and she found her Taylorsville Dayzz ticket, her cellphone with a dead battery, and $200 cash. She knew that the money wasn't hers and she became very confused as to how she got it. After a some time, she began piecing things together and began remembering what had happened to her. She felt dirty and threw the money away," according to the affidavit.

In September 2019, the girl received a text message from someone asking, "Do you remember me?" the affidavit states. She continued to receive text messages and calls from the number, with a man asking if he could see her again, despite the girl never giving her number to the man.

The person sending her messages was later determined to be Gutierrez, the affidavit states. In April of 2021, the girl picked Gutierrez out of a photo lineup provided by police, according to the affidavit.

On Tuesday, West Valley police questioned Gutierrez who confirmed he had had the same phone and vehicle for many years. He claims he asked the girl if she needed a ride, to which she said yes, the affidavit states. Gutierrez told police he gave the girl $200 "so that she could go to Taylorsville Dayzz again the next day," according to the affidavit. The girl did not go back.

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