AMERICAN FORK, Utah, March 10, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Herriman man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly assaulted a woman, then threatened employees of an American Fork hotel.
A probable cause statement from Utah County said Joseph Aaron Kunz, 29, is facing charges of:
- Two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor
- Possession of another’s identifying documents, a class A misdemeanor
- Assault, a class B misdemeanor
- Summoning an ambulance when not needed, a class B misdemeanor
- Theft by receiving stolen property, a class B misdemeanor
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
On Saturday at approximately 9:15 a.m., employees from a hotel in American Fork advised there was a male suspect physically assaulting a female victim, the probable cause statement said.
The female victim stated that the suspect placed her in a choke hold. It was also reported by employees that the suspect was punching the female victim in the face with a closed fist. Video surveillance allegedly showed the male suspect putting his hand around the female victim’s neck and pushing her out the door of the hotel.
The male suspect left the area on foot and was followed by two hotel employees.
“The male suspect told the employees that he would stab them if they came closer, and picked up a rock and made it appear that he was going to throw the rock at the employees on two different occasions, while they were trying to keep his location known,” the statement said.
Officers allegedly observed the suspect with the rock in hand as they approached. They also reported they observed him discarding drug paraphernalia that was subsequently located near the hotel.
“A search of the male suspect also located drug paraphernalia, multiple ID cards not belonging to the suspect, and white pills that were bar shaped, and consistent with Xanax,” the statement said.
Two additional wallets were located on the suspect, one belonging to the victim and the other belonging to a roommate. The wallet was returned and the roommate stated the suspect should not have his wallet containing his social security and driver license cards, and found approximately $250 missing from his wallet.
Kunz was transported to Utah County Jail with his bail set at $17,010.
