By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man is facing multiple felony and misdemeanor charges after allegedly threatening to kill her with a knife and holding her against her will before she escaped and sought help.
Daniel Lusk, 35, was arrested June 29 and booked into the Iron County Correctional Facility on charges including third-degree felony aggravated assault, misdemeanor unlawful detention, assault, threat of violence and damage to a communication device.
He also faces misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia, public intoxication, assault on a peace officer and lewdness, along with additional misdemeanor and infraction-level charges.
According to charging documents, officers responded around midnight after a woman reported that Lusk had held a knife to her throat, threatened to kill her if she tried to leave and bitten her hand. The woman was eventually able to escape without her phone or shoes.
Police contacted Lusk a short time later and took him into custody. After being advised of his rights, Lusk allegedly denied the allegations and claimed he had been asleep for several hours.
During a search, officers reported finding a folding pocketknife matching the woman’s description of the weapon and marijuana that Lusk admitted belonged to him, the affidavit states.
They also found a broken cellphone belonging to the woman that Lusk allegedly took to prevent her from calling for help.
According to court filings, police said they detected a strong odor of alcohol coming from Lusk and said he repeatedly challenged an officer to remove his handcuffs so they could fight.
Authorities requested the judge hold Lusk without bail stating they believe he is a “serious threat to the victim.”