An Arizona man is accused of kidnapping a 17-year-old Utah girl, tying her to a bed in his Phoenix home and telling her he was going to keep her as his “pet.”
According to charges filed in Utah’s 5th District Court on Monday, 38-year-old Raymond Burk faces one count each of human trafficking and aggravated kidnapping, both first-degree felonies.
Burk, of Phoenix, has also been charged in Maricopa County, Ariz., with five counts of sexual conduct with a minor, one count of aggravated assault with a weapon or dangerous instrument and one count of kidnapping resulting in injury.
Court documents state that in June, the teen was staying with her father in the St. George area and posted messages online that she was “depressed and wanted someone to pick her up.”
The then-37-year-old Burk posed as a 20-year-old and offered to pick up the teen, take her to his house in Leeds for two days and then return her home, according to charges. He told the teen that “he would take away her depression and she would be happy with him.”
Initially, the teen told the Burk she was 18 but later told him she was 17, to which he responded, “Oh, even better,” according to charges.
Burk picked up the teen on June 2, took her to a bank where she withdrew money and started to drive toward Phoenix, charges state. After about 45 minutes of driving, the teen “became concerned” because Leeds is only about 30 minutes from her home. After she asked where they were going, Burk told her that he had lied and that he lives in Phoenix.
The teen asked if she would still be back in two days, and Burk told her “he was going to keep her as his ‘pet’ indefinitely,” according to charges.
Once they arrived in Phoenix, Burk allegedly held the teen against her will for more than a week, during which time he physically and sexually assaulted her, charges state. When the teen asked to go home, Burk told her she was “his little pet” and “he was keeping her forever.”
Burk allegedly tied the teen to his bed and told her that she was not free to leave while he was at work. He also allegedly took the teen to the home of his drug supplier, where the drug supplier also sexually assaulted her in exchange for marijuana.
The teen eventually used Burk’s friend’s phone to send out messages on social media and alert police to her situation. Burk allegedly tried to move her to a different residence when he learned police were coming, but the teen saw police and made contact with them before she was moved.
Burk is being held in Arizona’s Maricopa County jail in lieu of $150,000, cash-only. A warrant for his arrest has also been issued in Utah, where his bail is set at $250,000.
