Cedar City man accused of raping teen in Washington County

Stock image | Photo by Barbol88/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A parolee accused of sexually assaulting a Cedar City teen is in jail in Washington County facing first-degree felony rape and aggravated assault charges and is being held without bail.

Stock photo.| Photo by Tinnakorn Jorruang/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

The arrest stems from an incident reported on Feb. 20 where a 17-year-old at a hospital in Cedar City reported she had been sexually assaulted two days before by a man identified as 36-year-old Clayton Campbell of Cedar City.

The teen told officers that Campbell picked her up from her home in Cedar City and the pair went to an area off of Blackridge Drive in St. George where they injected methamphetamine together, drugs the teen stated were provided by the suspect.

Hours later, the teen reported that Campbell sexually assaulted her in a remote area near LaVerkin. She also told police she was unable to deter the suspect or refuse since she stated “she was high and under the influence of drugs,” the officer noted in the statement.

During the assault, the report states the suspect pushed her down and placed his hands around her neck, causing her breathing to become restricted. She also reported that during this time, he was so forceful with her that she had bruises from the truck where her shoulders were pushed up against the truck door.

The report also states the teen told officers she “felt like she was going to die” and was “surprised” she survived the attack, the officer wrote.

The teen also reported a similar incident that took place in a dirt lot located in Washington City.

During an interview at Iron County Jail, the suspect initially told officers he didn’t know the girl, and later said he was with her but on a different night.

Clayton Glenn Campbell, 36, of Cedar City, booking photo taken in Washington County, Feb. 24, 2021 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

He also said they were stopped by police on the evening in question. During the encounter, the teen told the officer she was a rape victim and that Campbell had picked her up and was protecting her. The account was also provided by the teen who said the story was the suspect’s idea, a statement Campbell denied.

The suspect also told officers he had driven the girl to various houses in Washington County after she allegedly told him she didn’t feel safe at her boyfriend’s house anymore.

Following the interview, Campbell was arrested by LaVerkin City Police officers and transported to the Washington County Jail where he was booked on first-degree felony rape, second-degree felony aggravated assault and child endangerment – a third-degree felony for allegedly provided drugs to the 17-year-old.

Officers also discovered the suspect was on parole and contacted Adult Probation and Parole agents who placed Campbell on a Bureau of Prisons hold.

Campbell is on parole for a 2015 case filed in July of that year involving an incident that began with a report of a vehicle that was stolen from a valet parking attendant at a hotel in Las Vegas that ended up at a residence in LaVerkin, according to charging documents filed with the court.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of theft by receiving stolen property for the two stolen vehicles as well as felony evading. He was sentenced to serve 0-5 years in Utah State Prison.

Campbell also had a similar case filed in 2010 in which he was sentenced to serve 0-5 years in Utah State Prison for third-degree felony theft, evading and aggravated assault and other charges filed in Box Elder County earlier that same year.

Court records indicate he was released in 2014 and in December of the following year he returned to prison.

On Thursday, formal charges were filed against the suspect who remains in custody in Washington County without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Friday.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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