Man accuses motorcyclists of trespassing, then kidnaps them in Utah, feds say
A man accused of kidnapping two motorcyclists is facing multiple charges in Utah, officials said.
Russell Allen, 50, is charged with theft, assault and kidnapping while within Indian Country in connection with the April 26 incident, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah said in a May 7 news release.
Allen’s attorney, Greg Skordas, said he didn’t immediately have a comment in a May 8 email to McClatchy News.
Allen is a member of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute, according to a criminal complaint.
The motorcyclists were on a trip exploring the desert when they unintentionally entered the Skull Valley Indian Reservation in Tooele County, prosecutors said.
Allen and another man said the motorcyclists were trespassing, and “the victims were allegedly ordered to the ground face down, zip-tied, kicked and threatened with a knife,” prosecutors said, adding that “Allen and the other person allegedly took the victims’ belongings, including their motorcycles, purportedly as an impound for trespassing.”
The motorcyclists were taken by speeding truck “to a remote desert area” where they “were then released without any of their property,” prosecutors said.
They walked more than 10 miles to a military facility for help, according to prosecutors.
Their motorcycles eventually were found, but some of their other belongings weren’t, including camera equipment, phones and wallets, prosecutors said.
Tooele County neighbors Salt Lake County in northwestern Utah.
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