Arizona man charged in two states after kidnapping Utah teen to keep as his ‘pet’
Raymond Burk, 38, has been charged with human trafficking by police in Utah and accused of kidnapping a 17-year-old girl and spiriting her away to Phoenix where he held her captive and sexually abused her. The authorities in Utah are joining Arizona police in issuing those charges against Burk, who was arrested in Phoenix last June after his female victim escaped his clutches. ABC News reports that after she got free, she told Arizona police Burk had informed her that ‘she was “his little pet” and would keep her forever.’
Posing as a 20-year-old, Burk initially met his victim online. When the two met at her home in St. George, Utah, the teen got into Burk’s car. He told his victim that he was driving her to a town nearby but didn’t stop driving until they reached his home in Phoenix.
While the two were communicating online, the girl claimed to be feeling depressed and wanted someone to pick her up. Fox News reports that Burk held the girl captive in his Phoenix home for more than a week.
“The man [Burk] told the child victim that he would take away her depression and she would be happy with him,” the probable cause statement said. “The man said he would take child victim to his house in Leeds, Utah, and have her home in two days.” ~ per Fox News
Upon arriving at Burk’s home, he reportedly tied the girl to his bed and physically assaulted her when she tried to leave. Eventually, the teen girl was provided use of a telephone; and she promptly shared her plight with a friend on social media which was an alert to police in Arizona, according to The Sacramento Bee. Police descended upon Burk’s Phoenix home, eventually arrested him and charged him with kidnapping, aggravated assault and multiple counts of sexual conduct with a minor.
… when Phoenix police came to Burk’s home, she was too frightened to answer the door, reported the publication. Officers later cornered the pair at Scottsdale Fashion Square, where Burk admitted to having sexual contact with the girl and taking nude photos of her, The Arizona Republic reported. He was arrested on suspicion of five counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of aggravated assault and one count of kidnapping, police said. ~ The Sacramento Bee
Burk has been confined to an Arizona prison since his June 2017 arrest. This week, authorities in the victim’s home state of Utah also charged Burk with aggravated kidnapping and human trafficking.
~ Written by: Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Connect with Richard on Facebook and Twitter
