OGDEN, Utah, Dec. 23, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A Weber County man has been booked into jail on kidnapping and burglary charges after officials say he brandished a pistol and threatened to harm a woman, his girlfriend, if she did not come with him.
Lee Donald Cruz, 37, was arrested on Dec. 15, the day after the incident, which happened at an apartment near 2800 Lincoln Ave., Ogden.
Officers from the Ogden Police Department responded to a weapons call on Dec. 14, and were told that Cruz entered the apartment through an unlocked door, brandished a gun, and demanded that the woman come with him.
The two left, and another person who had been in the apartment made the call.
Authorities “pinged” Cruz’s phone, and it led them to a residence, according to a probable cause statement. With the homeowner’s permission, police searched the home after asking if they had firearms on the premises. They said they did not.
Officers located Cruz and the victim, and found two pistols hidden in the back of a toilet.
The victim said Cruz had threatened to “smash me” if she did not come with him, and that he had physically abused her on numerous occasions, the police statement said. She said she feared that if she refused to go with Cruz, he would assault her and anyone nearby.
The victim said Cruz had made her drive them away in her car, and that he had directed her to two houses before police arrived. She also stated that she,” … felt in danger the entire time she was with him.”
Cruz was charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated burglary, both first degree felonies, and with possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony.
He was booked into the Weber County Jail on $50,000 bail.
