ST. GEORGE — A 49-year-old man accused of taking two reported runaways to a hotel room in Hurricane has been charged with kidnapping following his arrest Thursday morning.
Theral Dockstader Hammon, of Colorado City, Arizona, has been formally charged with two first-degree felonies of kidnapping a child, along with two third-degree felonies of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He also faces two counts each of harboring a runaway juvenile and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
The case was filed following an incident reported in Hurricane early Thursday morning. Officers were dispatched after receiving a report of a suspicious man who was attempting to lure young girls into his vehicle, according to charging documents filed in 5th District Court.
The juveniles in question were a 12-year-old girl from Hurricane and a 13-year-old from Colorado City. Both girls were reported as runaways Wednesday night, Hurricane Police Sgt. Dan Raddatz told St. George News.
The suspect’s vehicle was spotted in a hotel parking lot off State Street in Hurricane. When patrol units arrived, they found Hammon sitting in the vehicle, and he was detained by police.
While officers were unable to locate any juveniles during a search of the room, both girls were located by police shortly thereafter, Raddatz said.
Police say Hammon admitted to picking up the 13-year-old girl from Colorado City the previous evening.
When asked what he did with the girls, Hammon reportedly said he took them to the hotel room and bought them pizza while he stayed in his vehicle and played on his phone. He said he knew both girls were juveniles and he was planning to take them back home that day, the report states.
Further interviews allege that on Wednesday night, Hammon took the 13-year-old to a house in Hurricane, where he was attempting to get two 12-year-old girls to go with him. Adults at the residence reportedly told the girls not to get in the vehicle. Two of the juveniles got into the Hammon’s car and left with him, while the other 12-year-old did not.
Once they reached the hotel, Hammon reportedly tried to get the juveniles to smoke methamphetamine and marijuana with him and then attempted to sexually abuse one of the girls multiple times, the report states.
Hammon was arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on Thursday morning.
Officers say they found marijuana during a search of Hammon prior to transport and suspected meth from the floorboard of his vehicle.
Raddatz said the investigation is ongoing. They are still gathering information and will conduct forensic interviews with both minors. Further charges could be forthcoming.
A review of court records indicates that Hammon has an extensive criminal history dating back more than 20 years, with more than 30 cases filed in multiple counties across Utah.
The current case was filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office on Friday morning. An initial appearance has yet to be scheduled in the case, and Hammon remains in jail without bail in Washington County.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.