PROVO, Utah — A Utah man could now face new charges after officials claim he removed his ankle monitor and traveled to Arizona to stalk his ex-girlfriend.
Zakary David Preece, 31, was arrested in Glendale, Arizona in October.
In September 2023,
Court documents show that in Sept. 2023, Preece went to his girlfriend's home in Springville. When he attempted to enter the home, investigators say his girlfriend smelled alcohol on him and said he wasn't welcome inside.
Preece allegedly shoved his way into the home, pushing his girlfriend to the ground, causing her to sprain her wrist and giving her several lacerations. Preece then left the home to retrieve an AR-15-style rifle from his vehicle and threatened his girlfriend for thirty minutes.
When Preece went to take a shower, the victim grabbed her 9-year-old son, who was present during the entire incident, and fled the home. Preece was arrested the next day and charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, and retaliation against a witness.
Preece was released from jail in March with the condition that he install a GPS monitor. However, on October 17 and 24, he failed to appear for pretrial conferences in the case.
Detectives followed up with the GPS monitoring company and learned that his monitor had not left his Payson home in 11 days. When police went to Preece's home, they found his vehicle there, but he wasn't.
When investigators obtained a warrant to search the home, they found the GPS monitor on a bed and a notation of Zakary's ex-girlfriend's new home in Arizona.
Payson Police contacted the Glendale Police Department who conducted a welfare check on the ex-girlfriend. About a week later, they were contacted again by the victim's parents who reported seeing Preece driving down their daughter's road.
The victim's father followed Preece as he drove around until he eventually parked behind a semi-truck. When police arrived they attempted to have Preece get out of the vehicle but heard a single gunshot from the vehicle.
Officers say Zakary stepped out of the vehicle with a self-inflicted gunshot wound and was taken to the hospital.
When investigators searched Zakary's vehicle they found a handgun, several air tags, a trail camera, and a thermal imaging camera.
Preece now faces an additional charge of escape from official custody as well as the charges he was currently facing.
