PARK CITY – Police have booked a Summit County man for aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping after he reportedly bound his girlfriend with duct tape and beat her several times over a three-day period.
Investigators say Jason Stone and his girlfriend went camping near the Utah-Colorado border on Thursday, but, it quickly turned violent. Summit County Sheriff Justin Martinez says she was able to get a text to her daughter after the attacks started. “She texted her daughter, saying, ‘Please track my phone, I believe he’s going to kill me,’” Martinez says.
Shortly after that, Stone reportedly destroyed the victim’s phone. Officers were sent to his home, but, the couple hadn’t returned yet. Martinez says, “When they were back in Summit County, she was then locked in a second story room.”
Martinez says the victim had been bound and the hands and feet and were barricaded inside, but, found a way to get out. “She had cut the window and escaped out the second story window, basically by climbing down and sliding down.” After that, the victim ran to a nearby business and called police. Stone was arrested without incident, and may not have known she had escaped.
Investigators are not sure what exactly triggered the violence during the camping trip, but, a previous domestic violence claim against Stone made in April was reportedly part of the argument. Martinez says, “During this ordeal, he had threatened her life, basically saying [about] the charges back in April, ‘I expect you to write an affidavit, saying I did not assault you.’”
The victim had multiple injuries, including black eyes. Investigators say some of her wounds were obviously fresher than others. When police arrested Stone, they say they found evidence to back up the victim’s story.