LOGAN — A 46-year-old Logan man has been arrested after a woman flagged down a deputy in Logan Canyon and told them she had been kidnaped and raped, according to law enforcement. Christopher Mark Derring was booked Monday into the Cache County Jail following an investigation.
According to an arrest affidavit, a Cache County Sheriff’s deputy was driving through the canyon along US-89 on Sept. 11. Near the Stokes Nature Center, a Salt Lake City woman waved for them to stop and claimed Derring had abducted her from a hotel in Ogden.
The alleged victim described how she had been visiting friends, when Derring offered to give her a ride. However, instead of taking her back to Salt Lake City, he drove her to his Logan apartment, where she was allegedly raped and assaulted repeatedly.
The woman told police how Derring had beat her with several objects, including a flashlight, a pipe, and a broken towel rack. She said the suspect was taking her to Idaho, where he had claimed that he was going to “drop her off in a remote area to die,” according to the probable cause statement.
Deputies searched the area and found Derring asleep behind the wheel of his car, with the engine running. He tested positive for methamphetamine, fentanyl, and prescription drugs.
The alleged victim claimed she was held captive for four days. In addition to allegedly being raped and beaten repeatedly, she also described how Derring put glue in her hair, claiming it was “treatment,” after trying to cut it, court documents detailed.
Deputies noted that woman had bruises on her feet, legs, shoulders, back, eyes, and jaw. She also had a large abrasion on the top of her forehead.
Derring was reportedly questioned by investigators. He denied the allegations before invoking his right to an attorney.
Law enforcement obtained a warrant to search Derring’s apartment. Inside a bedroom they found several small blood stains on a pillow. In the bathroom, they found a broken towel rack and a white towel with blood on it.
According to jail records, Derring was booked on suspicion of committing multiple felonies, including forcible sodomy, kidnapping and aggravated assault. He is being held without bail, pending arraignment on formal charges in Logan’s 1st District Court.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.