- Jean Pool Jeremi Elias Alban, 24, was charged with aggravated sexual assault Tuesday.
- The 16-year-old victim sought help but was restrained and assaulted May 29.
- Alban was identified through a DNA database, charges say.
WEST VALLEY CITY — One of two men suspected of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who had asked them for help is now facing criminal charges.
Jean Pool Jeremi Elias Alban, 24, was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with three counts of aggravated sexual assault, a first-degree felony.
In May, police say a 16-year-old girl was walking in an undisclosed area of West Valley City when she came across Alban and another man and began talking to them.
"(She) said her phone was dead and asked one of the males if they knew of a place she could charge her phone. One of them offered to let her charge it at their home. (She) said that she felt 'uneasy' during the interaction and attempted to leave, but then they physically restrained her, and described that they wrestled her to the ground and tore her leggings off," according to charging documents.
The teen was then sexually assaulted by both men, police say. She said one of the men had a gun. The girl was taken to a local hospital after the attack.
"The known defendant, acting with an unknown partner, encountered the victim during the early morning hours of May 29. The victim was seeking help from the defendants, and when she attempted to leave, they physically restrained her, threw her to the ground and then sexually assaulted her. The victim reported having never seen the men and did not know who they were," the charges allege.
On Aug. 24, Alban was identified as one of the suspected attackers after his DNA was entered into a national database.
"(He) has not been located in this matter, and with no ties to Utah, should be considered a flight risk. Additionally, the defendants sexually assaulted a random stranger whom they encountered in the middle of the night, under the guise of being helpful. Their actions are egregious, and they should be considered a danger to the community at large," prosecutors wrote in the charges while requesting that a no-bail warrant be issued.
