UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Sept. 6, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — An Orem man is facing a felony kidnapping charge after he allegedly kept a woman against her will in a remote cabin in Fairview, as well as in a vehicle.
A probable cause statement from Utah County said Gary Neil Larsen, 48, is facing charges of:
- Kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Unlawful detention, a class B misdemeanor
On Tuesday night, Sept. 1, officers responded to a report of a violation of a protective order, the statement said.
“Officers discovered Gary Larsen was violating a protective order and holding his girlfriend against her will,” the statement said. “Officers attempted multiple times to make contact with the victim over the phone and initially were unable to contact anyone. The victim finally answered the phone and officers noticed that she seemed to be in distress.”
The victim gave officers the address of where she and the suspect were so officers could ensure she was OK.
“When officers found the victim she stated that Gary had finally allowed her out of the vehicle because he knew the police were on their way and he was nervous,” the statement said. “The victim told officers that Gary had not allowed her out of the vehicle until that point. She described that she had tried to exit the vehicle for some time on many different locations, and Gary would speed up and drive off in the vehicle so she could not exit.”
Larsen had fled the scene and officers did not locate him at that time; however, they were called again early Thursday.
“Officers were dispatched on the early morning of Sept. 3 for a report that Larsen was once again violating the protective order and was threatening to kill the victim and himself,” the statement said. “The victim sent messages to a friend on social media stating that she was in fear for her life because she thought Gary might kill her and himself. The victim further clarified that Gary was armed with a knife.”
The victim sent messages to a friend stating Larsen had picked her up in his vehicle again and had driven her to Fairview, where he was threatening to kill her.
“Gary took the victim across county lines into a remote cabin,” the statement said. “The victim was able to tell a friend that she was in Fairview and that she was in fear of her life.”
Officers were able to get a location of the cabin in Fairview, and asked for an agency assist to check on the welfare of the victim. Fairview officers were able to locate both the suspect and the victim. When officers located Larsen and the victim, they also found a knife, which belonged to the suspect, in the cabin, the statement said.
Larsen was transported to Utah County Jail with his bail set at $25,000.
