WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Feb. 14, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A Utah man is facing multiple felony charges after being accused of attacking his former girlfriend, kidnapping her from West Valley City, and driving her to Las Vegas.
Jarom Tamatoa Tye, 24, has been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail system on suspicion of aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony; aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony.
The probable cause statement filed in Tye’s case says he arrived at the victim’s residence without her knowledge after a verbal dispute, and then dragged her by the hair into her bedroom, where he assaulted her with a knife, then sat on her chest and choked her until her vision became blurry.
“Victim also had a laceration on one of her pinkie fingers, which she reported was from a knife that Tye had while they were struggling,” the probable cause statement says.
“Your affiant and Detective Davis also observed her with a bruised left eye from what she stated was from the struggle when Tye was assaulting her. Victim also had petechiae in her right eye, which is typically evident and consistent with manual strangulation.”
The statement says Tye continued to hold her against her will, and the next morning, on Feb. 3, he forced her to get into her car for a trip to Las Vegas, where he again assaulted her. Tye also told the victim he would kill her family and dogs if she escaped, the statement says.
On Feb. 5 while at a casino, the victim told Tye she needed to use a restroom, then she escaped and took a taxi to the airport to buy a ticket for home, the statement says. The ticket agent called police, who summoned medical personnel and took the woman to a Las Vegas hospital, where police interviewed her.
Tye was located on Feb. 11, the statement said. Post-Miranda, he reportedly told police that he and the victim had an altercation after she drove him to his home in Logan on the pretense of picking up his passport, then left him there. He took an Uber/Lyft car service back to her residence in West Valley City, spending more than $100 to get back to her residence, he said.
Tye told officers that at the victim’s apartment, she attacked him, and “he may have caused injuries to her from defending himself.”
“Tye stated that he was afraid for his life, because he thought she was going to kill him with a pocket knife. Tye stated that he felt safe enough when she calmed down, and they decided to go to Las Vegas to get married.”
The victim has since moved to another residence because of Tye’s death threats, the statement says.
“Victim is attempting necessary steps to avoid suspect, but still fears that he will locate her and harm her.”
Tye is being held without bail.
