Police identify man arrested for home invasions, sexual battery

Stock image | St. George News

ST. GEORGE – Police announced late Tuesday that they have arrested a man suspected of committing two home invasions – one in St. George and the other in Washington City. In at least one of the incidents, the suspect is accused of committing sexual battery.

Jaime Santos Torres, of St. George, booking photo, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the St. George Police Department, St. George News

Jaime Santos Torres was identified in a news release from the St. George Police Department issued shortly before 10 p.m.

According to booking information, Torres faces two felony charges of burglary and misdemeanor charges for assault and sexual battery.

He also faces additional charges in the Washington City case, the news release said.

Officers were originally dispatched to a residence in the Little Valley area on a burglary call at approximately 12:12 p.m. involving a home invasion.

“When officers arrived on scene they learned a Hispanic male in his 20s had entered the home and room of a 19-year-old female that had just got out of the shower,” the news release states. “The male shut the door and approached her asking if she was alone.”

The woman told the man, alleged by police to be Torres, that she wasn’t home alone and started screaming for her roommate. The news release then states that Torres moved in such a way that made the woman believe he was going to cover her mouth, which made her fear he was going to assault her.

At that point, Torres ran out of the house as the woman kept screaming.

The suspect’s vehicle, a red Ford F-150, was caught on surveillance footage before it left the area. St. George Police subsequently posted a photo of the truck over social media, along with a description of the suspect.

Photo taken from surveillance footage shows a red pickup truck whose driver is suspected of sexual assaulting a female in her home, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2017 | Photo courtesy of St. George Police Department, St. George News

After fleeing the Little Valley area, Torres drove in the Washington Fields part of Washington City nearby, according to the news release.

Once in Washington Fields, Torres entered another home around 12:45 p.m., police said.

He was taken into custody about four hours later.

“Contact was later made with Jaime and the vehicle near a construction site close to Stone Cliff in St George,” the news release states. “Jaime matched the physical and clothing description of the suspect reported by witnesses.”

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.

 

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4 Comments

  • comments October 24, 2017 at 11:26 pm

    In other words, it sounds like no one was actually sexually assaulted. sexual battery is what i’d call a BS or fluff charge. You can get a sexual battery charge for tapping a woman on the shoulder or possibly by even looking at her in a way that displeases her. Sounds to me like the only reason she’s a “victim of sexual assault” is because this hispanic happened to catch a look at her in a bath towel, and, according to Ed Kociela and B&F, she’s a victim of all men because she “owns a vagina”.

    • Commentor October 26, 2017 at 8:56 am

      You’re so right. Great work on such a clear-headed comment calling out overly-sensitive and easily-triggered women. This gentleman probably just wanted to sit down in private for some light conversation and a little gossip, and what does he get? Screamed at in the face. The poor man probably has hearing damage now from the young lady’s insensitive reaction. This PC nonsense really has gotten out of control when a guy can’t even invite himself into someone else’s home and corner a girl in her bedroom without acquiring a “BS fluff charge” anymore. Sad.

  • comments October 24, 2017 at 11:37 pm

    on a positive note, this HISPANIC MALE won’t be burgling or sexually batterying anyone for awhile. you’d think they could come up with something other than “sexual battery”. It sounds ridiculous, and the definition of it under UT law is something like “lightly fondling”. A quick googling to compare it to other states: ” At least in Florida, “Sexual battery means oral, anal, or vaginal penetration by, or union with, the sexual organ of another or the anal or vaginal penetration of another by any other object””

  • utahdiablo October 25, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    Conceal, carry, and lock your doors people

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