Utah man allegedly used phony cartel threats to hold pregnant girlfriend and family hostage for months: report

A Utah antheral is accused of holding his large woman and her household hostage successful their location for six months nether the prevarication that "cartel" members were pursuing them.

Dominic Garcia, 23, was arrested Saturday and booked connected 28 charges, astir of them felonies. Among them were 7 each of kidnapping and assault, according to The Associated Press.

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The concern reportedly began erstwhile 1 of the alleged captives called the police, claiming they were being held against their volition and that they "weren't capable to instrumentality it immoderate longer," according to KSTU, a Salt Lake City-based FOX affiliate.

Upon arriving astatine the home, constabulary recovered the household holding Garcia astatine gunpoint, and helium was promptly taken into custody.

Dominic Garcia is accused of holding 7 radical hostage successful a Utah home. (KSTU)

Garcia reportedly moved successful with the household successful December. Shortly afterward, helium allegedly claimed his ain household had ties to a cartel, and that his caller housemates had to bash arsenic helium told them to stay successful the cartel's bully graces.

"Over time, Garcia created an ambiance of fearfulness and control, falsely creating affiliations with a unsafe cartel," said Sgt. Aymee Race of the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake.

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"He claimed ‘his people’ were watching and immoderate defiance could effect successful their deaths," she continued.

Garcia reportedly began carrying a handgun astir the house, repeatedly telling household members that the cartel would termination them if they did not bash arsenic helium told them.

One unfortunate purchased a handgun that Garcia began carrying around, according to a probable origin statement. (KSTU)

Garcia is besides accused of forcing his alleged victims retired of the location for a period nether the pretense that his household had made a atrocious woody with the cartel and needed to flee. 

Upon their return, a household subordinate texted a person to explicate wherever they had gone, KSTU reports. Upon seeing the text, Garcia allegedly lashed out, aboriginal claiming he'd brought 1 of the hostages "into the company" and that he'd termination them if they went astray.

Garcia "created an ambiance of fearfulness and control," Sgt. Aymee Race said. (KSTU)

Family members besides impeach Garcia of checking their phones and confronting them implicit messages helium didn't o.k. of and limiting who could permission the location and for however long. He is besides said to person tally a "boot camp"-like cognition that entailed moving retired 5 times a day, taking crystal baths and facial submersion to the constituent wherever household members were near incapable to breathe.

Garcia, who arsenic of Monday was being held without bail, "said that helium continued this prevarication for respective months due to the fact that helium did not cognize however to halt it successful fearfulness that they would not similar him," the constabulary affidavit reads.

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Sgt. Race declined to supply immoderate further remark connected the lawsuit erstwhile reached by Fox News Digital.

The Associated Press and KSTU contributed to this report.