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LOGAN — A man on parole is accused of kidnapping a woman, sexually assaulting her and beating her with a towel bar with plans of abandoning her in Idaho.
Christopher Mark Derring, 46, was booked into the Cache County Jail for investigation of forcible sodomy, kidnapping, aggravated assault, possession of a controlled substance, and driving with a measurable controlled substance, according to a police booking affidavit.
Cache County sheriff's deputy Travis Ricks reported being flagged down by a woman on U.S. 89 in Logan Canyon near the Stokes Nature Center on Sept. 11. The woman told the deputy she was kidnapped from Ogden and raped.
"I was driving through Logan Canyon," Ricks told KSL-TV. "We were training over at Bear Lake that day."
"A lady started on the side of the road, she was trying to flag me down, and I pulled over," Ricks said. "So she was saying, 'Hey, this lady's having some issues.' She said she was kidnapped and had been sexually assaulted."
Ricks reported initially, the woman gave short answers, had trouble staying awake, and had signs of physical abuse, including her hair being cut.
"When speaking with her, you could see some swelling on her face and that she, you could tell she had been in an assault," Ricks said. "She was a little, not making complete sense at first. You could tell she was pretty traumatized."
According to the affidavit, the woman initially said that Derring had picked her up from an Ogden Motel 6 on Sept. 8 after her friends locked her out of their room. She said that Derring offered a ride to her home in Salt Lake City, which she accepted.
"She told me that she had been in Ogden, claimed to have been kidnapped by a male, and the male had assaulted her both physically and sexually," Ricks said of the encounter.
The woman told police that Derring took her to his home in Logan, where he held her captive in his apartment and repeatedly sexually abused her for at least two days. She said that she was hit with a black flashlight and a towel bar. Police said the towel bar could inflict "serious bodily injury or death."
It wasn't until the drive to Idaho, where Derring reportedly said he was going to abandon her, that she escaped from him and made contact with the deputy, police said.
"She identified a car a short distance away," Ricks said. "Stayed with her and kept eyes on the suspect's vehicle until we had the resources there to contact that suspect.
Ricks said Derring was found asleep in his car with the engine running on U.S. 89, where he was arrested without further incident.
"I was in the right place at the right time," Ricks told KSL-TV. "I don't feel I did anything that any one of our other patrol deputies (wouldn't) have done."
When interviewed by police, Derring denied the accusations. According to the affidavit, Derring said the woman was already beaten when he found her at Motel 6. He said the woman had a psychotic episode and cut her hair in his bathroom that morning.
Derring told police he took the woman to a McDonald's in Logan and ate food in front of her. "He explained that he was done with (the woman), wanted to get away from her, and was not going to provide for her by buying her food," the affidavit stated.
According to police, Derring threatened to take her to jail or drive her to Idaho and drop her off. He said the woman asked to be dropped off in Idaho. The affidavit stated that Derring asked for an attorney and police stopped asking him questions.
After the interview with Derring, detectives were granted a search warrant for his apartment. Police reported finding a bed in Derring's bedroom with several small blood stains. In the living room, police reported finding a black flashlight that matched the woman's description.
According to the affidavit, detectives found a broken towel rack in Derring's bathroom and a white towel with blood on it next to the toilet. Police believe the towel was used to stop the bleeding of a wound.
Police also reported finding two pairs of scissors, one with hair residue in the bathroom, hair residue in the tub, and a large clump of hair in the kitchen garbage can, the affidavit states.
Police reported that Derring was on parole for drug-related crimes and tested positive for methamphetamine, fentanyl, and prescription drugs.
Those who have experienced sexual abuse or assault can be connected to trained advocates through Utah's statewide 24-hour Rape and Sexual Assault Crisis Line at 888-421-1100.
