SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, April 23, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A man has been arrested after he allegedly sexually assaulted a woman having a seizure at an apartment building in Salt Lake County.
A probable cause statement from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake County said Miguel Munoz-Lara, 35, is facing charges of:
- Two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony
- Burglary of a dwelling, as second-degree felony
- Three counts of sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor
- Lewdness, a class B misdemeanor
Around 6:30 a.m. on March 2, the victim told officials she remembered locking the door to her apartment and going to the elevator. She has epilepsy, and had a seizure when she got off on the first floor, the statement said.
The victim can be seen on video surveillance getting off the elevator and having a seizure. After a few minutes, she began to sit up and was visibly disoriented, the statement said. She then stood up, leaving her coat, glasses, purse and bag on the floor. She followed the hallway and ended up outside.
“Still disoriented and unsteady, she was seen on the sidewalk and in the parking lot,” the statement said. “It was 33 degrees outside, she was wearing a sleeveless shirt, leggings and appeared intoxicated.”
Just before she went outside, a white truck with two black stripes pulled into the lot and stopped near the dumpsters.
The suspect is then seen on surveillance getting out of the truck and approaching the victim. He guided her to the sidewalk, toward the main entrance door. The two then went through the main door of the building, and the suspect then allegedly touched her inappropriately and pushed her into the mailroom.
They were then out of the view of the surveillance cameras, but when the victim could be seen again on surveillance, she was allegedly pulling up her pants.
The victim told officials she felt someone touching her and saw a man she did not know. She asked him what he was doing then yelled at him to get out, the statement said.
Detectives from Major Investigations Unit assisted in locating the suspect. He was transported to the sheriff’s office, read his Miranda rights and agreed to speak to officers.
“Miguel admitted the male in the video was him,” the statement said. “He described the female, what she was wearing and that he thought she was drunk or on drugs.”
When asked why he grabbed her if he thought she was drunk, he said: “I’m a man.”
He was transported to Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
