Lehi man accused of choking child after church volleyball tournament
LEHI, Utah () — A Lehi man is facing a felony aggravated child abuse charge after he allegedly choked a child after a church volleyball tournament.
Nathan Jack Speaker, 42, was reportedly one of the last people in the gym along with his four children, the victim, and another adult. According to court documents, as the kids were knocking the volleyball around, the victim stepped in front of Speaker, and hit the ball away from him.
'This caused [Speaker] to become upset and grab the juvenile victim by the throat,' a Lehi Police Department Officer wrote in arresting documents. Police say Speaker lifted the victim completely off the ground before throwing the child into his own children.
The victim reportedly suffered a contusion to his right eye after colliding with another child and scraped his left knee.
BYU study examines 'toxic perfectionism' in the LDS church
The other adult present did not see the alleged assault, according to court documents, but heard the victim cry and scream at Speaker afterward. The witness reportedly took the victim home who later told his mother about the alleged assault. Police say Speaker later wrote an apology letter to the victim and his family apologizing for what he had done. He then allegedly sent a text message to the victim's mother asking her to not report the incident to the police.
Police say Speaker 'actively evaded apprehension' after learning he would be taken into custody for the charges over the phone. According to court documents, it took four days for detectives to locate Speaker as his family members refused to tell them where he was, despite knowing.
Speaker was taken into custody and booked on a second-degree felony aggravated child abuse charge as well as third-degree felony tampering with a witness. Police say he was actively serving probation for a similar incident involving his own child at the time of his arrest.
Court records show Speaker has been ordered to be held without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Teen pedestrian struck by vehicle in Waterbury, non-life-threatening injuries reported
WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — A 14-year-old pedestrian was hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle in Waterbury on Friday night, police said. At approximately 6:20 p.m., a 14-year-old ran out into the street in the area of 89 Pearl Lake Road to retrieve an item, when they were struck by a passing vehicle. Wheelchair user fatally struck by car in New Haven They were transported to a local hospital with suspected non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained on scene and was not injured. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Davenport driver arrested after police find wrecked car, cocaine and cash: Court records
A 50-year-old Davenport man was in custody Saturday after Davenport Police say he drove the wrong way on a one-way and wrecked his car, according to Scott County arrest affidavits. Diondre Wakefield faces felony charges of controlled-substance violation and failure to affix a drug stamp, along with a serious misdemeanor charge of eluding, according to Scott County Court documents. About 11:53 p.m. Friday, Davenport Police saw Wakefield driving a white Dodge Charger in the area of the 400 block of Gaines Street, affidavits show. Officers knew Wakefield had several warrants for his arrest including local from Davenport Police and interstate from Rock Island County, according to affidavits. Police identified Wakefield as the driver. Officers activated their emergency lights and sirens to initiate a stop, but Wakefield 'immediately turned the wrong way on a one-way road and willfully failed to stop, fleeing at a high rate of speed,' police say in affidavits. Police relocated the Charger shortly afterward. The car had wrecked in the 800 block of Marquette Street and it was unoccupied. A K9 was on the scene and tracked southeast from the car. Officers gave Wakefield commands to surrender, but he remained hidden and refused to comply, affidavits say. During the track, police found a clear plastic bag containing 13.1 grams of cocaine discarded in a back yard, along with $42 cash. There was no tax stamp affixed to this, according to affidavits. The track continued south. Police found Wakefield about two houses south of where the narcotics and money were located. He had $755 cash. 'The large amount of the suspected crack cocaine along with the large amount of cash indicate (Wakefield) to be selling the crack cocaine,' police say in arrest affidavits. Wakefield was being held on a total $15,000 bond in Scott County Jail on Saturday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Police search for driver after man critically injured in Loop hit-and-run while chasing dog
CHICAGO — Police are searching for a driver who allegedly fled the scene after crashing into a man who was chasing his dog in the Loop on Friday night. Chicago police say a search is underway for the driver of a white sedan who crashed into a man in the 100 block of South Michigan Avenue, in the Loop, just after 9:30 p.m. Friday. Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Officers said the victim, a 66-year-old man, had walked into the road while attempting to grab his dog when was hit by the sedan, leaving him injured. Following the crash, officers said the driver involved allegedly did not stop and continued driving. The victim suffered a head injury in the crash and was later hospitalized in critical condition. LATEST CASES: Missing people in Chicagoland No arrests have been made in connection with the crash and an investigation is now underway. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to dial 911. Those with information that could help authorities in their investigation can also leave a tip at Tips can be filed anonymously. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
