Washington County man arrested for assault after following dog walker home

John Paul Daley. Photo Courtesy: Washington County Sheriff's Office

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 10, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A Washington County man has been arrested for aggravated assault after he allegedly followed a dog walker home and began hitting her with a metal object before dragging her into her shower when she was unconscious.

A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of Washington County said John Paul Daley, 46, is facing charges of:

  • Aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony
  • Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
  • Assault, a class B misdemeanor
  • Threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor
  • Interference with arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor

The victim, who did not know the suspect, was transported to the hospital by ambulance due to her injuries after the incident Saturday afternoon, the statement said.

“The victim informed me she had been out walking her dog when she met this male who also had a dog,” the statement said. “The two began talking about dogs and a short time later she told the male she was going home and invited the male to her home to talk about his dog further. The victim told me the male followed her to her house and when they got close to the front door the male walked into her home.”

The victim told the male she was not comfortable with him being in her home and she asked him to leave.

“The male told the victim he was going to use the restroom first,” the statement said. “The male went to the bathroom and the victim went to the back door of her home. When the male exited the bathroom the victim told the male again that she was not comfortable with him being in her home and he needed to leave.

“The victim stated the male began yelling and screaming at her and all of a sudden grabbed a metal object from inside the home and began hitting her in the head with it.

“The victim stated she fell to the ground and the male continued to hit her in the head and body with the object. She then told officers she lost consciousness and when she woke up she was being dragged to the bathroom,” the statement said.

“The victim began to fight and yell and the male began hitting her again in the head,” the statement said. “The victim lost consciousness again and when she woke up she was inside the shower in the bathroom. The victim described the shower as being older with a sliding door. The door was shut and she believed the male thought she was dead.”

When she got out of the shower, the suspect reappeared and threw her back into the shower, causing her to go unconscious again, the statement said.

When she regained consciousness, the victim could hear the male inside her house breaking things, the statement said. The victim opened the shower and crawled out of the bathroom, through the back door and out into the street where the reporting party located her.

The reporting party then observed the suspect walking out of the woman’s house. The reporting party confronted Daley which led to a physical altercation between the two of them. The arresting officer was then dispatched to the scene.

“I was informed a female was laying in the street and had been assaulted,” the statement said.

When the officer arrived, he found two men restraining the suspect face down on the ground. The officer placed the suspect in handcuffs and he continued to attempt to fight. He also threatened the two men that had helped to detain him and said he was going to kill them. The suspect repeatedly screamed this for several minutes, the officer said.

Additional officers arrived and were able to get the suspect into a “WRAP” restraint device. The man continued to yell and scream profanities. He was transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.

“When we arrived security staff took the male out of my patrol vehicle and into the hospital,” the statement said. “The male kicked a security guard in the leg and the male also attempted to try and headbutt a medical tech.”

The suspect also had alcohol in his system.

The male was cleared medically and because he was on probation or parole, AP&P arrived and spoke with Daley about the incident. He stated he did not know what had happened to him and he did not recall hurting anyone. He was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility, where he is being held without bail.

While at the hospital, the victim received several stitches and staples in her temple and head area.

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