LOGAN — A 20-year-old Logan man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted aggravated murder after allegedly stabbing his girlfriend as she tried to escape a domestic dispute on Wednesday. Jay Dalton Jones was booked into the Cache County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, the incident began on Oct. 29 when North Park Police responded to a domestic dispute call. A responding officer arrived to find Jones helping the victim into a vehicle. The woman complained of back pain, and the officer observed a puncture wound consistent with a stab wound, along with a bruise on her face. The victim was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment.
Jones initially attempted to deceive the officer, claiming that he was roughhousing with his dog on the bed, which caused the victim to fall off and land on a knife. Jones then retrieved an eight-inch serrated knife with blood on the tip from inside his apartment, which police collected as evidence.
However, witness accounts contradicted Jones’s claim. Two neighbors in the apartment building reported hearing the victim scream “get off me,” “stop,” and “help me.” One witness who looked through a peephole saw the victim running down the hallway, fleeing Jones, charging documents detailed.
During a lengthy interview with police, Jones eventually changed his account. He allegedly admitted that the argument began over pictures of women on his phone, leading him to “lash out” and hit the victim.
Jones further confessed to escalating the physical confrontation by placing his arms “around her neck tight,” while refusing to let go because he was worried she would destroy his possessions, the arrest affidavit described.
After releasing her, Jones confessed that he threw the victim’s phone in the trash but retrieved it while holding a knife, telling the victim, “You ain’t going anywhere… I need you.” When the victim attempted to flee the apartment through the front door, Jones allegedly stabbed her in the back. He told investigators that he “shouldn’t have had the knife” and “shouldn’t have chased her with the knife,” but conceded he would not call the stabbing an accident.
Speaking with police at the hospital, the victim reportedly stated that she felt “terrified” and believed “if she tried to leave, [Jones] would kill her.” She also disclosed that this was not the first time Jones had prevented her from leaving an argument or had been physical with her. The victim sustained injuries to her ribs and showed signs of having been strangled, in addition to the stab wound.
Jones made an initial appearance Friday in Logan’s 1st District Court. He was charged with attempted aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony; along with two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and assault, a class B misdemeanor.
Judge Spencer Walsh ordered Jones to remain in jail and appear again in court Nov. 3. He also prohibited him from having any contact with the alleged victim.
If you or someone you know is going through abuse, help is available. CAPSA is a nonprofit domestic violence, sexual assault and sex trafficking support center serving Cache, Rich, and Franklin Counties. CAPSA’s 24-hour support phone line is 435-753-2500. For more information visit: www.capsa.org. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.