LAYTON, Utah, Feb. 28, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A man is facing felony charges after allegedly keeping a woman and her daughter in his Layton residence against their will.
Jessie Leo Sosa, 37, faces charges of:
- Child kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Kidnapping, a second-degree felony
- Two counts of violation of a protective order, a class A misdemeanor
A probable cause statement filed by an officer of the Layton Police Department says the department got a request for a welfare check on Feb. 25 from the father of the missing woman. That woman had been granted a protective order against Sosa, banning him from coming near the woman or the daughter they share.
The woman went to pick up their daughter at Sosa’s residence following the issuance of the order, the probable cause statement says.
“As the victim went to the door to get her daughter, she was observed being pulled inside and the door slamming shut,” according to the probable cause statement. It did not reveal who witnessed the alleged incident.
“There was then, very little communication from the victim to her family and a welfare check was requested by the victim’s father on 02/25/20. The defendant (Sosa) answered the door for police and stated the two victims were not home and did not allow officers inside.
“On 02/26/20, follow up investigation was performed and further information was developed. A voice phone call from the victim to her mother had been made that morning with a brief statement advising she was at the home and ‘working things out.'”
That turned out not to be true.
“Later in the day, the victim’s mother received a text message from her advising of an appointment with her AP&P supervisor the following day,” the probable cause statement says. “Contact was made with the AP&P supervisor who confirmed there was no appointment scheduled and that the victim had disclosed abuse and fear of the defendant in the past. Contact was made with the defendant at the door who answered holding the juvenile victim.”
The child spontaneously informed officers “mommy was hiding in the bathroom.”
“The defendant admitted that the victim was in the house. The victims were separated from the defendant and disclosed that the defendant had kept them in the home for the extended period under threats and against their will and in violation of a protective order. The victim specifically described that on the two occasions police officers responded to the residence to check on the victims, the defendant forced them to hide in the bathroom.”
Sosa is being held without bail.
