Charges dismissed against man accused of assaulting another man, setting him on fire

SALT LAKE CITY — A judge granted prosecutors' request to dismiss charges against a 53-year-old man previously accused of stabbing, sexually assaulting and setting a man on fire, citing a lack of evidence.

In a motion filed at the end of August, deputy Salt Lake County attorney Chad Carter said the case should be dismissed "due to evidentiary concerns and lack of a reasonable likelihood of success at trial."

Attorneys for Robert Reins, of Draper, agreed to the dismissal, which is without prejudice so the case could be filed again if more evidence comes available.

Third District Judge Richard Daynes dismissed the case in early September and ordered Reins to be released from jail after over a year and a half.

On Oct. 1, 2024 at about midnight, a man was walking from the Kimball's Lane TRAX station in Draper down 700 East to his job at a fast food restaurant on 12300 South, according to a police booking affidavit, and was startled by a deer and said something in Spanish. After that, he heard a stranger ask him to repeat what he said.

A police booking report said the man wanted to avoid a confrontation, but the stranger put him in a chokehold, sliced his side with a knife, ripped off his clothes and sexually assaulted him. He said he was knocked out and woke up to "the pain of burning" realizing he was on fire. He was treated for significant injuries, the affidavit said.

The victim described a suspect in and a sketch, containing "very distinctive characteristics" which was disseminated to local police. Draper police claimed they determined Reins had a "strong resemblance to the sketch" when they encountered him acting erratically a block from where the attack took place.

The booking affidavit said the victim picked Reins out of a photo line up, saying he was 90% sure it was the person who attacked him. At the time, prosecutors said they collected a cigarette and water bottle from Reins to collect DNA and compare it with items at the crime scene.

Reins was charged months after the assault on Jan. 16, 2025. Third District Judge James Gardner signed an order that day saying there was enough probable cause for an arrest without a warrant and that Reins should be held without bail.

He was charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; forcible sexual abuse, aggravated assault causing serious injury and aggravated assault leading to loss of consciousness, second-degree felonies; in addition to two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. Each of those charges has now been dismissed.

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