Teen’s secret signal for help leads to hotel rescue and alleged predator arrest in Davis County
Mar 5, 2024, 6:21 AM
(John Wilson, KSL TV)
(John Wilson, KSL TV)
BOUNTIFUL — A Davis County teen is home safe and a man is in jail after police believe the man traveled from California upon meeting the boy online, causing the 14-year-old to send a secret signal for help to his family.
That signal, plus some other steps the teen took, led police to a West Bountiful hotel room Sunday to make that rescue.
It also led to the arrest of 36-year-old Austin David Arnold and the questioning of three other adult men.
“This individual traveled here with the intent to harm a child,” said Stephanie Dinsmore with the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.
BOUNTIFUL — A Davis County teen is home safe and a man is in jail after police believe the man traveled from California upon meeting the boy online, causing the 14-year-old to send a secret signal for help to his family.
That signal, plus some other steps the teen took, led police to a West Bountiful hotel room Sunday to make that rescue.
It also led to the arrest of 36-year-old Austin David Arnold and the questioning of three other adult men.
“This individual traveled here with the intent to harm a child,” said Stephanie Dinsmore with the Davis County Sheriff’s Office.
Dinsmore said that was a red flag for the family.
“This was something that the family had recently discussed as a possible safety tip in case something were to go wrong,” she said.
A couple of hours later, a family member got another signal from the teen.
“The teen had shared their location with a family member, and that was obviously given to investigators immediately and the juvenile was located,” Dinsmore said.
The charging document explains that investigators found the teen with four adult men in a hotel room. They believe Arnold sexually abused the teen and had visited him before.
