LOGAN — A 36-year-old Orem man remains in custody at the Cache County Jail after allegedly grabbing and sexually assaulting an underage girl at the Cache County Fair on Aug. 5, authorities said.
According to court records, Ryan Howard Shaw has been charged in Logan’s 1st District Court with forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony, and aggravated kidnapping while committing unlawful detention, a third-degree felony. He is being held without bail.
According to arrest documents, Cache County Sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of inappropriate touching around 9:30 p.m. Witnesses reported seeing a man, later identified as Shaw, grab a juvenile girl by the shoulders and touch her repeatedly while insisting she join him on a fairground ride.
Deputies located and detained Shaw, who initially claimed he was “just being friendly” and only touched people on the shoulder. Investigators noted Shaw also had an active arrest warrant.
When deputies spoke with the victim and her friends, the minor was visibly upset and crying. The girl reported that Shaw approached her group near the swinging ride, grabbed her hand, and pulled her toward the ride despite her friends’ efforts to intervene.
Shaw then allegedly held the girl by the waist from behind, refusing to let go while inappropriately touching her chest, sides, and neck. The victim told deputies she repeatedly asked him to stop before eventually escaping by jumping over several fences to reach a restroom with her friends. The group corroborated her account.
Upon further questioning, Shaw admitted to consuming a large amount of alcohol before entering the fairgrounds. He claimed he approached fairgoers because he was seeking a partner for a two-person ride, maintaining he only patted the victim on the head and shoulder to comfort her.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.