A pair of alert and suspicious neighbors led police to a man who allegedly raped a Salt Lake woman near the Rose Park Golf Course Monday night.
A West Valley couple went to the West Valley Police Department Tuesday morning to tell police they thought a neighbor's car and physical description matched those reported on a local TV news broadcast of a man being sought in the attack.The couple told police their neighbor had knocked on their door Monday night asking to use the phone. He said he'd been a victim of a carjacking and needed to call to get his glasses replaced because they had been lost during the incident. The man told the couple he didn't want to call police, West Valley Police Lt. Charles Illsley said.
"They thought the story was suspicious because he didn't want to call the police. Then when they heard his description on the news they came to see us," Illsley said.
Officers believe the assailant was driving a 1985 maroon Buick Riviera with a broken passenger side window. The woman told police the man is in his 20s and has curly blond hair.
Police found a car matching that description parked in front of a home at 2666 W. 2680 South, West Valley City. Blood was smeared across the broken windshield and in the trash bin, and police found the victim's backpack, coat and one of her shoes, Illsley said.
"Wednesday is garbage day at the trailer park. If these people hadn't called us the evidence would be gone," Illsley said.
The Salt Lake woman was beaten with a wrench and raped after she got into a car with a stranger Monday night, police said.
The woman, 35, was walking on a sidewalk about 1000 West and North Temple when a man offered her a ride home. The woman climbed into the car and the man drove her to a deserted road near the Rose Park Golf Course, approximately 1200 West and 1200 North, said Salt Lake Police Lt. Mark Zelig.
"Some sort of fight ensued with the attacker," Zelig said. "She was beaten with a wrench, and he got out of the car and raped her on the street."
The woman escaped after the attack and ran to a phone where she called police. Paramedics transported her to Salt Lake Regional Medical Center where she was treated and released.
"I'm sure she was in a lot of pain, but she's doing OK physically," Zelig said.
Steven Deahl, 24, West Valley City, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Tuesday for investigation of aggravated sexual assault and rape, said Salt Lake Police Lt. Phil Kirk.