TOOELE, Utah, Feb. 28, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — It took a SWAT call out to finally apprehend a man who twice trashed a Tooele woman’s home, assaulted her and stole her phone and credit cards..
The victim first called police Sunday night to say the suspect was in the process of ransacking her home, according to charging documents for Todd Paul Collins, 31. He had left before police arrived, the victim saying she had a relationship with Collins.
“I went to the victim’s address and saw that the home had most of the items inside thrown from the shelfs, tv, laptop, tables, bed and several other items,” a Tooele Police Department officer wrote in a probable cause affidavit filed in 3rd District Court.
The victim had bruising on her arms and said Collins had taken her cell phone which had her credit and debit cards in the phone case, the affidavit said. Monday night she called police again to say Collins was back, having kicked in the back door, broken her living room TV and damaged several doors.
When officers arrived she said Collins was still inside, but police cleared the premises and he had again departed. But officers caught up with him at his listed address, finding him in the backyard. But he ran from officers, court files say, running into a nearby field, hiding by a shed, then making it back to his residence where he barricaded himself inside.
Tooele Metro SWAT was called out and officers finally arrested him inside, finding him intoxicated and resisting arrest. “Mr. Collins has repeatedly made forced entry into the victim’s home and caused property damage to the victim’s property and putting her in fear,” the affidavit said.
Collins was booked into the Tooele County Jail Monday night on suspicion of felony charges of burglary, property damage, and unlawful possession of financial cards, plus misdemeanor counts of theft and domestic violence assault. He was ordered held without bail.
