Photo of Gabriel J. Hanrion. Police suspect he raped a teenage girl in March leading a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest (Courtesy: Facebook)
LOGAN — Law enforcement is looking for a 24-year-old Smithfield man suspected of raping a teenage girl in March. The warrant for Gabriel J. Hanrion was issued by a judge Wednesday.
According to the warrant affidavit, the alleged victim, a 17-year-old girl, reported being raped by Hanrion to Smithfield City police officers. The two were reportedly co-workers at a local restaurant.
The girl claimed that early on the morning of March 2, she began texting Hanrion because she couldn’t sleep. She mentioned that the two had been in a friendship for several months. As their conversation continued, the suspect asked her to come over to his home because he wanted someone to cuddle with and she agreed.
The girl told officers that the two began watching a movie when the suspect began kissing her. She went onto say that before she could even comprehend what was occurring, Hanrion was raping her.
The victim stated that she did not say no to the suspect but had always told him no when he had pressured her previously. She also provided screenshots of their message threads around the time of the incident.
Police attempted to contact Hanrion multiple times. They claimed he would not answer or return any phone calls.
Officers contacted the restaurant owner where Hanrion and the victim were employed. They were aware of the incident and had conducted an internal investigation. The owner claimed that the suspect originally denied having an inappropriate relationship with the victim but, after being presented with the evidence against him, gave a confession. He was later terminated.
Prosecutors with the Cache County Sheriff’s Office filed a criminal case against Hanrion in 1st District Court Wednesday. It included one count of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor, a third-degree felony.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck issued a warrant for Hanrion’s arrest. She ordered him to be held in jail on $5,250.00.
will@cvradio.com