Wellsville man arrested on suspicion of raping a child

Booking photo for Jared Martindale (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).

LOGAN — A 44-year-old year old former Logan business owner, who was recently released from prison, has been arrested again on suspicion of raping a child when he was a teenager. Jared Martindale was taken into custody April 25 by Logan City police officers and later booked into the Cache County Jail. He was reportedly living in Wellsville at the time.

Martindale was arraigned in 1st District Court Monday afternoon. He appeared by video from jail hours after the Cache County Attorney’s Office charged him with rape of a child and object rape of a child, both first-degree felonies; and two counts of aggravated sex abuse of a child, a second-degree felony. The charges could carry a maximum sentence of up to life in prison.

According to the indictment, prosecutors allege the crimes took place in 1989, when Martindale would have been around 15-years-old. The alleged victim was an acquaintance, under the age of 14.

During Monday’s arraignment, Cache County Deputy Attorney Griffin Hazard asked the court to revoke Martindale’s bail, citing that he was recently released from prison after previously being convicted of violating a protective order. Defense attorney Shannon Demler, who is not representing the defendant, argued that Martindale should still be released because the new crimes happened years before the defendant’s recent conviction.

Judge Kevin Allen agreed with Demler and granted Martindale’s release on pre-trial supervision. He also ordered him to have no contact with the alleged victim and appear again in court Tuesday morning.

Adult Probation and Parole officers told the court that a second warrant has also allegedly been issued for Martindale to be sent back to the Utah State Prison for violating his parole. That could happen as soon as he is released from jail.

In April 2017, Martindale was sentenced to up to five-years in prison for threatening his ex-wife. The woman claimed that during their 20-years of marriage, he had abused her physically and emotionally. She described how he had threatened to kill her, cut her into little pieces and put her in a suitcase, so no one would find her.

At the time, Martindale blamed his actions on an addiction to alcohol. He asked the court for mercy so could support his kids and save his business, Top of Utah Spas.  The store has since gone out of business.


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6 Comments

  • Granny April 29, 2019 at 7:10 pm Reply

    I Just wonder who wins in this kind of situation. A man can go to prison for something he is accused of doing when he was a mush brain 14 year old? I am all for victim rights but his children will live without a Father just to prove a point 30 years later? So Sad for all involved.

  • Joe Sisson April 30, 2019 at 10:00 am Reply

    This is TERRIBLE journalism, the headline makes it sound like this just barely happened, when in reality it happened 30 years ago! You should be ashamed of yourself! The guy is trying to make things right, trying to improve, trying to do what he needs to and then you publish this headline of him?!?! Wow, what a complete joke!!!!

  • Ronald Postoian April 30, 2019 at 12:51 pm Reply

    I don’t know seems like a swell guy

  • Leslie April 30, 2019 at 3:58 pm Reply

    What about the child? She was 8.
    Trauma is a hard thing to go through obviously. Where is her justice?

  • Josh Gephardt May 2, 2019 at 2:40 pm Reply

    C’mon, Joe. Trying to improve over 30 years? His ex-wife would disagree.

    “She described how he had threatened to kill her, cut her into little pieces and put her in a suitcase, so no one would find her.”

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