Man sentenced for assault, attempted kidnapping of woman who said he wanted to 'mark her'

SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan man who tried to "mark" a woman with a stick and a hammer, according to charges, will be spending a year in jail and three years on probation after the domestic violence incident.

Arnold Nelson, 54, was sentenced on Oct. 16 to one year in jail for attempted aggravated kidnapping while committing unlawful detention, a class A misdemeanor, with credit granted for the 117 days he had already served, and zero to five years in prison for aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.

The prison sentence was suspended and he was instead ordered to spend one year in jail, concurrent with the other sentence, and three years on probation.

Third District Judge Dianna Gibson ordered him to complete an addiction program and not get credit for good time. A release before the end of the term would require a separate order from the court, the court's order said.

The judge heard from both the victim and Nelson before issuing her sentence.

A police booking affidavit said officers responded on June 22 to a West Jordan home, where they found the woman "with blood covering her hair, face, arms and clothes."

The woman reported that she and Nelson were living together, and that he had psychiatric problems and had gotten angry with her. She said he came into her room with a large stick and a hammer, telling her to go into the backyard so he could "mark her," according to the affidavit.

A witness reported seeing Nelson hit the woman multiple times with a stick and another tool, either a hammer or a tomahawk knife, "all over her body," take her phone and break it on the ground.

The affidavit said Nelson claimed that another man with a gun had injured the woman.

Nelson pleaded guilty to the two counts on Aug. 21 under a plea deal that reduced the attempted kidnapping charge from a third-degree felony. The deal also dismissed three class B misdemeanors for damage to a phone, assault, and property destruction.

When Nelson entered his plea, his attorney asked for him to be released, but Gibson denied it at the time.