- Brenton Amulek Peterson, 42, faces multiple charges, including attempted rape and burglary.
- Peterson is accused of assaulting a 74-year-old woman while performing handyman work in her home.
- The woman escaped and called 911, police say.
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A handyman hired by a 74-year-old Eagle Mountain woman to make repairs at her home was charged Tuesday with sexually abusing her.
Brenton Amulek Peterson, 42, of Highland, is charged in 4th District Court with attempted rape, a first-degree felony; forcible sexual abuse, obstruction of justice and burglary, second-degree felonies; damaging a police car, a third-degree felony; and causing property damage, a class A misdemeanor.
On Friday, Peterson went to the home of the woman "at her request to perform some handyman work, repairing a room in her attic." But while helping the woman carry some boxes up the stairs, Peterson inappropriately touched her and told her "he had always been attracted to older women," according to charging documents.
The woman went into her bedroom in an attempt to get away from Peterson, but "he followed her in, grabbed her arms, forced her down to the bed and tried to remove her clothing," the charges allege.
The woman told police she fought back until Peterson let her go, and she then ran into another room and locked the door.
"(Peterson) started banging on the door and telling (the woman) to let him in, using sufficient force to break the door around the lock," according to the charges.
The woman then managed to get out of the room and ran out of the house and called 911. When police arrived, they found Peterson fixing the door.
"Upon initial contact with (Peterson), I observed a strong odor of alcohol on his breath as well as small fresh scratch marks on his forehead and cheek, which were still bleeding. (Peterson) identified himself and stated that he was hired by (the woman) to repair the door and the room in the attic," a police booking affidavit states. The woman, however, told police that Peterson "was not hired to fix the door as it was not broken prior to his arrival that day."
After being taken into custody and placed in the back of a patrol car, Peterson "started to repeatedly bang his head and knee against the car window and sides of the prisoner transport cage, damaging the seat belt mechanism," the charges say.
