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SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake man was charged Monday with luring a teenage boy into his apartment so he could sexually assault him.
Gregory Andrew Phillips, 70, is charged in 3rd District Court with aggravated kidnaping and attempted forcible sodomy, first-degree felonies; and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
In August, police say a 15-year-old boy was walking near an apartment in Salt Lake City "when he observed Phillips swaying and struggling to walk." The boy offered to help Phillips, who then invited him inside his residence for food. The teen initially said no, but Phillips insisted, according to charging documents.
Once inside the apartment, however, Phillips made the boy go into a bedroom where he said he was going to sexually assault the teen, the charges allege. "(The boy) stated Phillips told him he was a 'pro' because he had 'done it to other kids.'"
After a struggle, the boy tried to leave the room, but was pushed back down by Phillips who threatened to "burn" the boy if he moved again, according to the charges.
The boy eventually convinced Phillips to allow him to leave the room, but Phillips said "that he would burn him if he did not return," the charges state.
The boy ran out of the apartment and contacted security.
"(Phillips) preyed upon the victim's vulnerability, brought him to a secluded location and took advantage of him," prosecutors noted in the charges.
