ROY, Utah, Aug. 6, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A man was booked into the Weber County Jail Monday after police say he tried to kidnap a woman in Roy by approaching her from behind, throwing a bag over her head and choking her.
Suspect MC Korok, 19, has been charged on suspicion of:
- Kidnapping, a second-degree felony
- Theft of an operable vehicle, a second-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
A probable cause statement filed by an officer of the Roy Police Department says the victim reported being attacked at about 2:32 a.m. in the area of Airport Road.
“(She) said the male individual strangled her and pulled a gun on her,” the statement says. The woman said she was out walking to cool off after an argument with her boyfriend.
“Suddenly, someone put a bag over her head from behind and started dragging her across the railroad tracks,” the statement says. “She did not see the individual until she was able to somehow get the bag off of her head.
“(She) described the alleged attacker as a Hispanic or Native American male about 5 feet 5 inches tall, with brown eyes and a ponytail on the side of his head.”
The man was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts, the victim said. The suspect “spoke a weird language that she could not identify. (She) grabbed the railroad track in an attempt to stop the man from dragging her across the track. According to (the victim), the male was strangling her to the point she believed she was going to die.”
“At some point, the male pulled a black gun out of his pants pocket. He tried to kiss her on the mouth and neck. He started to pull his pants down.”
The victim said the suspect tried to put a rope around her neck, but she was able to block his attempts with her hands, roll away, and run to a nearby residence where people helped her, the reporting officer wrote in the statement. The officer noted that the victim had injuries consistent with her account.
At about 4:50 a.m., a white Honda Accord was stolen from a residence on Airport Road, near the site of the attack, the statement says. The vehicle was later located on Legacy Parkway with Korok inside.
Korok is 5 feet 4 inches tall, with brown eyes and a ponytail. He was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts when apprehended. He is from the Marshall Islands and speaks Marshallese, the probable cause statement says.
Because Korok matched the suspect description and was found in a car stolen from the area of the attack, he was transported to the Roy Police Department for questioning.
“MC said he had a bag, a white T-shirt, his passport and social security card inside the Honda,” which was towed, the statement says. “He eventually admitted to stealing the Honda Accord. He denied ever seeing a female or assaulting anyone.”
The victim could not positively identify Korok as her attacker from a photo lineup, but later “positively identified the suspect from his voice while he was speaking with Your Affiant and Detective Howard,” the statement says.
Korok’s bail has been set at $25,000.
