The alleged rapist of the Merrill Engineering Building custodian was arrested Thursday night in the HPER West building.
Detective Troy Martinez, the investigating officer in the case, made the arrest after a picture of the suspect was identified in a photo lineup by the victim.
The Nov. 13 issue of The Chronicle reported that an employee of U Custodial Services told police on Nov. 5 that one of his co-workers had been raped. The victim regularly works in the Merrill Engineering Building, where the alleged incidents took place.
The victim said he had been assaulted in the early morning hours of Nov. 3 and again the following day. According to reports, initially the victim felt threatened and was too scared to call police or tell anyone of the assault.
Police describe the transient as a “white male, heavyset with dark hair.”
The Chronicle also reported that there were no suspects.
On Nov. 15, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that on Nov. 6, the alleged victim led Martinez to a staircase in the engineering building where the suspect regularly slept.
According to Martinez, in a Nov. 14 interview with The Chronicle, after getting a description of the assailant from the victim, Martinez looked for him in the engineering building and found him sleeping in the building. Martinez interviewed the man, found out that he was homeless and took his picture.
No arrest was made at that time because there wasn’t enough evidence, he said.
The victim identified the man in a photo lineup on Thursday afternoon. He was arrested that night in the HPER West building-where the man also works as a custodian four hours a night-and booked in the Salt Lake County Jail for two counts of rape.
No one from building maintenance or the county jail was able to be reached by deadline.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported that charges will probably be filed against the 45-year-old transient by prosecutors Monday.
