More charges for St. George man accused of child kidnapping

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man accused of kidnapping a woman and her three children in the fall and telling them they would soon be going to heaven, is now facing additional criminal charges.

David Gene Remley, 36, is already charged in 5th District Court with three counts of child kidnapping and aggravated kidnapping, first-degree felonies.

On Aug. 20, St. George police were called to conduct a welfare check on Brittany Etta Deal, 27, at her home. Officers arrived to find Deal and her three children — ages 2, 5 and 9 — were missing. Several hours later, the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in Nevada located Remley near Battle Mountain and arrested him and reported that Deal and the children were safe.

Investigators said they learned that Remley told Deal he was taking her to Oregon and going "way off the grid."

"David told her that she did not need her family or friends and that he and God were the only (people) that she needed," a police booking affidavit states. "Brittany stated that she became very fearful when David told her and her children 'to not worry because they would all be going to heaven soon,' and he would point his finger toward the sky."

Remley was extradited from Nevada to St. George. On Friday, he was charged with 11 new counts of violating a protective order, a third-degree felony.

Remley attempted to call Deal 11 times between Sept. 13 and Nov. 7, while incarcerated, including eight attempted video calls and three regular phone calls, according to a police booking affidavit.

Additionally, after Deal was found, she outlined a history of domestic violence committed by Remley, police said.

On Nov. 6, Remley was charged in connection with domestic violence that investigators say happened on June 25. He was charged with causing property damage, assault and witness tampering, third-degree felonies; three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, a class B misdemeanor; and intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.

In that incident, Remley became "physically aggressive" with Deal and as she attempted to leave the residence to get help, "she described being grabbed and possibly shoved, resulting in her blacking out after a door hit her head. She awoke on the ground with David standing over her," according to a police affidavit.

While talking to Deal, she outlined previous cases of abuse, "including David shattering her TV and phone, as well as an incident where he grabbed the steering wheel of her car and threw soda at her and her children," the affidavit states. She said police "had been called to her residence in the past for similar incidents, but she had lied to them and told them that nothing happened all in front of her three children."

Officers performed a lethality assessment and noted in their arrest report that "the situation screened as potentially lethal."

Remley was also charged on Aug. 16 — four days before the alleged kidnapping — with six felony crimes, including aggravated assault, for an incident on Aug. 14 that resulted in Deal being hospitalized.

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