GRAND COUNTY, Utah, June 12, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A man was arrested Monday by a Grand County Sheriff deputy after witnesses reported seeing him in a boat that was stuck on rocks in the Colorado River, striking a woman with an oar and causing her to fall into the river.
Bystanders near Takeout Beach, northeast of Moab, called dispatch and “request law enforcement and emergency medical services for an intoxicated female that appeared to have been abused and had fallen into the water,” the man’s arrest documents say. Bystanders took the woman to a local business to await officers, charging documents say.
“The victim appeared intoxicated, cold, and had bruises in various stages of healing on both legs,” the deputy’s report says. “The victim stated that she wasn’t feeling well, explaining that she had swam for some time in the river and upon questioning stated that she had been hit in the head by her roommate, later identified as the suspect, as well as that some of the bruises on her legs were from him.”
The woman was treated by EMS responders.
“Bystanders reported that the suspect was yelling loudly at the victim and calling her names when he struck the victim with an oar and knocked her into the river where she struggled to reach shore for a couple of miles before someone was able to help her ashore. The victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance and later admitted for overnight observation due to her level of exhaustion and intoxication.”
Suspect Kent Lee Hansen, 38, “reported that he and the victim were boating down the river when the boat became stuck on a rock. The suspect admitted to pushing the victim into the water, but denied using the oar and described the action as a push with his hand or hands with the intention of pushing her off the boat or rock and into the water.
“The suspect reported that he did so because the victim was hitting him in the face, was intoxicated, and was mad at him for getting the boat stuck.
“Later, while transporting the suspect to the jail the suspect made the statement that he ‘thought he had killed her’ when she fell into the water, although he stated he had not meant to harm her and thought she would just swim to shore, but instead continued to swim downstream.”
The victim said she did not remember much about getting stuck in the rocks or actions that followed, but “the suspect had hit her with the oar earlier in the day, before starting down the river.”
The victim stated she did not recall how she fell into the river. She did talk about multiple prior incidents of alleged domestic violence, which she had not reported, charging documents say.
“The lethality assessment was completed and scored ‘Potentially Lethal,'” Hansen’s charging documents say.
Hansen was booked into jail and ordered held without bail.
