SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 23, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has filed charges against a man suspected of an attempted kidnapping near Granger High School, in West Valley City.
Jonathan Martinez Calata, 21, was arrested after reportedly followed a student into Granger High School in West Valley City, according to court documents.
The Oct. 9 incident started when a juvenile teenager and her friend were eating lunch across the street from the school.
“Mr. Calata and another male allegedly approached to ask the teens to go home with them,” says a news release issued Monday by the DA’s Office. “The girls started to walk away, but the men followed saying one of the teens’ dads asked Mr. Calata to pick her up. At one point, the teens said Mr. Calata reached into his backpack and said, ‘let’s go,’ leading the students to believe he had a weapon.
“As the students made their way back to school, they were able to get other friends to gather around them. Only Mr. Calata continued to follow them as they crossed the street to Granger High School campus. As the students walked into the school, Mr. Calata followed them inside where Granite School District Police confronted him.
“It is alleged that Mr. Calata tried to get police to help convince one of the students to go home with him.”
When police searched Calata they found a dangerous weapon, as well as credit cards that had been reported stolen. In addition, officers found a bag of orange pills that tested positive for amphetamines.
Online court records have not yet been updated to reflect an attempted kidnapping charge. Calata was previously booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of:
- Possession of a controlled substances, a third-degree felony
- Four counts of unlawful acquire/possess/transfer of financial card, a third-degree felony
- Possession of controlled marijuana/spice, a class A misdemeanor
- Possess dangerous weapon on school premises, a class B misdemeanor
- Criminal trespass upon school property, a class B misdemeanor
Calata was ordered to remain in jail without bail.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill commented in a prepared statement.
“We applaud the young people that saw a potentially dangerous situation and quickly reached out to friends to help provide safety in numbers. We appreciate the quick actions of the Granite School District Police Officer that helped identify the danger Mr. Calata presented to the students on Granger High School campus.”
Gephardt Daily will have more information as the case develops.
