LOGAN — A 27-year-old Logan man is being held without bail on multiple felony charges, including child torture, after authorities allege he subjected his wife and two stepchildren to severe physical abuse over a two-year period.
The suspect, whom KVNU is not identifying to protect the alleged victims’ identities, faces a first-degree felony charge of child torture, eight first-degree felony counts of aggravated child abuse, three class A misdemeanor counts of child abuse with injury, and four third-degree felony counts related to domestic violence and assault.
According to an affidavit of probable cause, Logan City police officers conducted a thorough investigation and forensic interviews that revealed extensive abuse. One of the children reported the Logan man beat him with a belt, a dog leash and a toy lightsaber. The child told investigators the lightsaber was swung with such force that it broke, leaving him covered in bruises and unable to sit or walk without pain. The child also alleged the suspect wrapped a clothes hanger around his neck and lifted him off the ground until his vision blurred.
The other minor victim reported the man shot him with a BB gun, leaving welts and red marks. Both children told police the suspect forced them to eat hot peppers as punishment and punched them in the legs while wearing a “replica Sugar Bowl ring.” Documents also allege the stepfather kicked one child in the ribs while wearing shoes, resulting in a large bruise.
The suspect’s wife told investigators her husband punched her in the back of the head and the thigh, providing police with photographic evidence of her injuries. She alleged the man would use “bear hugs” to physically restrain her while he assaulted her children.
When confronted by police, the man admitted to specific incidents regarding a “movie night” and “closet cleaning” but denied any physical contact. According to charging documents, he attributed the victims’ extensive bruising to “eczema.”
According to jail records, the man was booked Wednesday into the Cache County Jail, where he remains held without bail. He is expected to make an initial appearance Friday morning in Logan’s First District Court.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.