DRAPER, Utah — A Draper man is now facing charges after he allegedly attacked someone with a knife, attempted to sexually assault them, and set them on fire. Robert Reins, 52, was arrested for the crime on Tuesday.
In court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, Draper Police explain that the alleged attack happened on October 1, 2024. Then officers responded to a report of a man saying he was set on fire at 696 E 12100 S.
The victim told detectives that around midnight he had just gotten off the UTA Trax at Kimballs Lane station. He told police that he at the time was walking to his job at McDonald's at 303 E 12300 S.
According to the victim, while he was walking a deer came out of a field startling him. He said he shouted in Spanish something along the lines of, "You scared me you son of a bitch."
The victim said he heard another man say, "What?" The victim continued walking when the voice said, "Repeat what you said." The victim told the unknown man he did not speak English. The voice then responded, "You need to speak English."
The victim would continue walking to work when the man, later identified as Robert Reins, allegedly came up behind him and put him in a choke-hold. The victim also described Reins slicing him with a knife on his right side.
Reins and the victim started wrestling before the suspect pushed the victim onto the ground lying on his stomach. That's when the victim says Reins began taking off his pants and tried to rip off his underwear. The victim was also sexually assaulted during the encounter.
The victim said that he then felt a punch to the back of his head which knocked him out. Soon, though the victim would wake up to the pain of burning after the suspect allegedly set him on fire and left the scene.
The victim was able to describe the suspect to the police who then produced a sketch of the alleged suspect.
When Draper Police's SET team was out at 7-11 at 692 E 12300 S they had an encounter with a homeless man that matched the sketch that police had produced.
The victim on January 7 identified Reins as the suspect who attacked him claiming that he was 90% sure.
Police later that day were alerted that Reins was once again at the 7-11. Officers arrested him and seized a cigarette he was smoking and his water jug to be tested for potential DNA matches to the crime scene.
Robert Reins now faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault, and aggravated assault producing loss of consciousness.
