‘Stranger’ arrested for kidnapping, rape after picking up victim near train tracks in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A man was arrested Thursday for the alleged kidnapping and sexual abuse of a female victim he had picked up and refused to let out of his car, according to Salt Lake City Police.

Arnold Gonzales, 69, was arrested on object rape (first-degree felony), aggravated kidnapping (first-degree felony), two counts of forcible sexual abuse (second-degree felony), and obstruction of justice (class-A misdemeanor).

On April 11, SLCPD was notified of a possible kidnapping after the victim had texted friends saying that she was in a stranger’s vehicle and did not know where she was.

The victim’s family reportedly found the victim’s phone location and waited until police could conduct a traffic stop.

Upon stopping the vehicle, police found Gonzales in the driver’s seat and the victim in the passenger seat. Detectives then separated the two so that they could conduct individual interviews.

During the interview, the victim told police “she did not know [Gonzales] and when she walked past his vehicle, she was dizzy and did not know how, but she ended up in his car,” according to the probable cause statement. “The victim stated that once inside the vehicle [Gonzales] made her smoke marijuana and he touched her […] more than once.”

The victim reportedly continued to describe forcible sexual abuse, claiming that Gonzales would not stop his actions and drove her around for close to an hour.

“The victim stated that she tried getting out of the vehicle multiple times and Arnold would not let her and would make her smoke more marijuana,” the affidavit states. “The victim shared the texts she had sent to her friend that said she was lost and in a vehicle with a stranger and that she was scared.”

During the interview with Gonzales, he reportedly told police that he saw the victim, whom he did not know, walking near train tracks and offered to give her a ride to “help her out,” the affidavit states. Gonzales denied trying anything sexual with the victim, and that when the victim asked him to get out of the vehicle and walk, “he told her not to and that he would continue to drive her home because of the dangerous area they were in.”

After his arrest, Gonzales was reportedly observed trying to hide potential evidence relating to sexual abuse. Police did not disclose information about the victim’s age, but Gonzales reportedly told police that she was 18.

Gonzales was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on the charges previously stated.