St. George man arrested on first-degree felony rape charge after SWAT responds to home

File photo: Pixabay/ Ashby C. Sorensen

ST. GEORGE, Utah, April 28, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A St. George man has been arrested on a first-degree felony rape charge after a SWAT team responded to his home.

A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of Washington County said Michael Alexander Nolasco, 39, is facing charges of:

  • Rape, a first-degree felony
  • Sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor

On April 25, officials were contacted about an alleged rape that occurred in the area of 1300 W. 360 North in St. George. The arresting officer responded to St. George Regional Medical Center to make contact with the 21-year-old female victim.

The victim advised that she was at a friend’s residence on the night of April 24, consuming alcohol, the statement said. The victim was intoxicated and did not feel comfortable driving home, and she contacted Nolasco, who is known to her. Nolasco picked the victim up and drove her back to the address in St. George. The victim told police she blacked out and when she woke, between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., Nolasco was “raping” her, the statement said.

Another woman who was in the residence saw that Nolasco was not in his room at approximately 5 a.m. She went in search of the suspect, then heard the door of the victim’s room slam shut, followed by the bathroom door seconds later. When confronted, Nolasco allegedly said that “nothing had happened.” The woman then went into the victim’s bedroom, where she allegedly found the suspect’s clothing on the floor. The victim gathered her clothing and left the house.

The victim advised that Nolasco began texting her several hours later.

“The victim pulled up the text thread between her and ‘Mike,’ which started at 11:39 a.m. on April 25,” the statement said. “He sent several messages to the victim, asking about her well-being. At one point, Michael advised he went in and ‘checked up’ on the victim. The victim responded ‘you didn’t check up on me,’ followed immediately with ‘you raped me.'”

Officials also spoke with other individuals known to the two women and Nolasco, one of whom reported that the woman who confronted the suspect about the incident had told her about it, and that Nolasco had threatened to kill her if she reported what occurred. The woman who confronted him also expressed that there were previous incidents of abuse involving Nolasco and the victim.

Officers responded to Nolasco’s residence. The St. George SWAT team was also deployed to the area as a safety precaution, as initial reports indicated there may have been weapons inside the residence.

Nolasco was transported to St. George Police Department for an interview. After being read his Miranda rights, he said he did not want to provide a statement.

The suspect was transported to Washington County Jail, where he is being held without bail.

Nolasco was on probation or parole at the time of the incident.

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