Sex offender accused of raping woman in abandoned mobile home; second suspect still at large

Abandoned mobile homes sit on the area where Paul Frazier Moore, 58, of Cedar City, is accused of raping and sodomizing a woman, Iron County, Utah, Oct. 1, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Google Street View, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — A 58-year-old sex offender is accused of tying up a woman with a shirt and raping her in an abandoned mobile home in Iron County earlier this month.

Paul Frazier Moore, of Cedar City, allegedly drove with the woman in her car at about 3 a.m. on Oct. 1 to the mobile home west of Cedar City. They went there together because Moore was “helping her to find a trailer she wanted to purchase,” according to the probable cause statement. The mobile home was empty and did not belong to Moore.

Paul Frazier Moore, 58 of Cedar City, is accused of raping and sodomizing a woman in an abandoned mobile home in Iron County, Utah, Oct. 1, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News/Cedar City News

Once inside the trailer, Moore and a second man used a red turtleneck shirt to bind the woman’s hands and then forcibly held her on the floor on her stomach, according to the probable cause. The second man held the woman down as Moore allegedly roughly sodomized the woman with an object.

Moore than allegedly raped her as the other man threatened to smack her if she bit Moore, according to the probable cause statement. Regardless if she bit Moore or not, the other man is accused of hitting the woman across the face during the rape.

The two men let go of her after Moore allegedly sexually assaulted her several times, which allowed her the time to run to her car and drive away to call for help. When she reported the assault to an investigator, she had visible red scratches across her chest and neck and was questioning herself for not fighting back.

Moore is a known sex offender but was not on probation, said Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser.

Moore was convicted of a felony for molesting a child under the age of 14 in 2001 in California, which was why he was registered as a sex offender, according to records from the Utah Department of Corrections.

“As far as I know, he’s been compliant with registering (as a sex offender),” Schlosser said.

After the alleged rape in Iron County, police weren’t able to arrest Moore for 17 hours because he was walking the 11 miles from the abandoned mobile home to his home in Cedar City, according to the probable cause statement.

During questioning, Moore admitted to performing each sex act on the woman, but he told investigators that it was consensual.

He also allegedly told police he used methamphetamine and marijuana with the woman beforehand. Drugs that Moore said belonged to him were found in the woman’s car. A glass pipe also was found in the car.

Moore was taken to the Iron County Jail and charged with rape, forcible sodomy, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Because the court determined that Moore would be a substantial danger to others if he was released, he is being held at the jail without bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Oct. 17.

The investigation is ongoing and the accomplice who held the woman down is still at large, Schlosser said.

The woman knew her alleged attacker, which often happens in rape cases, Schlosser said.

“If you end up in a situation where you’re uncomfortable or someone takes you to a secluded area, that may be an indication to make sure to stay away or call somebody,” he said.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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3 Comments

  • Real Life October 11, 2018 at 5:52 am

    There are certain instances when swift Middle Eastern punishment are in order. This might be one of those cases. Is there really any good reason to keep this guy alive?

  • Carpe Diem October 11, 2018 at 6:58 am

    No bail? Sounds about right.

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