ST. GEORGE — A Hurricane man accused of sexually assaulting an Airbnb guest has been charged with two first-degree felonies. Last week, he appeared in court for a bail hearing after several nights in jail.

The defendant, 46-year-old Jeremy Ray Spence, appeared before District Judge John J. Walton for a bail review hearing held at 5th District Court in St. George on Thursday.

Spence is facing two first-degree felony charges, including one count each of object rape and sodomy, as well as a second-degree felony count of forcible sexual abuse. The charges were recently filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office shortly after the suspect’s arrest last month.

The case was filed following an incident reported on Feb. 21, when Hurricane City Police detectives were called in to investigate a report alleging that a woman in her 50s was sexually assaulted by the defendant.

Investigators learned that the woman was staying at the defendant’s Airbnb that was advertised as a detached casita located behind the suspect’s residence.

As it turned out, the rental had a common door between the rental guest suite and the suspect’s kitchen.

The victim reported that while staying in the suite, Spence entered her room uninvited, then proceeded to sexually assault her, as alleged in the affidavit filed in support of the arrest.

As soon as she saw him enter the room, the victim said she heard him say she “was really going to enjoy this.” She also told investigators that she had never consented to have any sexual contact with the suspect.

The report also stated that a sexual assault kit was completed and indicated there was physical evidence of trauma consistent with the victim’s account of the incident.

Investigators collected text messages and other evidence that revealed that Spence had reportedly wanted to be in the victim’s room “naked” and may have been under the influence of alcohol at the time.

When detectives reached out to Spence, he reportedly refused to come to the police department for an interview. Detectives then located the suspect at his residence and he was taken into custody.

Spence was then booked into jail while the case was under review by the Washington County Attorney’s Office and the charges were filed the following day. The case is still under review, as authorities have reason to suspect there may be other victims who have yet to come forward.

On Thursday, the judge removed the no-bail hold and set bail at $25,000 cash or bond. Spence was released later that same day after posting a bond.

Spence is scheduled to appear in 5th District Court in St. George for a preliminary hearing in the case on April 22.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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, 2024, all rights reserved.

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