FRUIT HEIGHTS — A West Jordan man leveraged an online singles group to set up parties where he could lure and allegedly sexually assault women, according to Davis County Sheriff’s Office charging documents.

Detectives arrested Kevin Linford, 45, at the Salt Lake City airport on Tuesday after he returned from a trip out of the country. They took him to jail on suspicion of raping one woman and sexually assaulting another, both on Aug. 6.

Additional women have contacted police to report alleged sexual assaults by Linford, including two others at the Aug. 6 party, according to a sheriff’s office probable cause statement. Multiple cases are being investigated, the document said.

Investigators said Linford is an administrator of a popular singles group on Facebook through which he creates and hosts parties and other events. During the event at a Fruit Heights home, Linford invited a woman into a bedroom and asked her to kiss him, which she did, the arrest affidavit said. He then allegedly grabbed the woman’s face and she pushed him away, saying she did not want to have sex. He then allegedly forcibly pulled her into a bedroom closet and raped her.

At the same party, Linford was in the pool and he approached a woman sitting on the side, according to the arrest affidavit. She told him she did not want to swim but he allegedly pulled her into the pool, where he allegedly forced her hand onto his uncovered genitals and then aggressively touched her genitalia. The woman told detectives she had not met Linford before the party.

“Our detectives made this a top priority case, and swift action was taken,” sheriff’s Capt. Taylor West said in a news release. “We believe that Linford used his power as the group moderator and party organizer to take advantage of these victims. Unfortunately, we do not believe this is the first party at which Linford made unwanted sexual advances. We are asking anyone whom Kevin Linford has victimized to come forward.”

Linford was booked into the Davis County Jail in Farmington on suspicion of rape and object rape, both first-degree felonies, and two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse.

Detectives asked that he be held without bail on the grounds that he would be free to victimize more women if he was not in custody. He also is a flight risk because he has several vehicles and the financial means to travel, they said.

Formal charges had not been filed by Wednesday morning and Linford did not have an attorney of record in 2nd District Court.

Linford’s Facebook page says he is a CEO of several businesses and is a real estate agent. He has more than 4,000 followers on the social media platform.

The sheriff’s office declined to identify the Facebook group involved. Spokeswoman Stephanie Dinsmore said investigators want to protect the identities of victims.

The sheriff’s office urged anyone with further information to call 801-451-4150, or for victim’s services to call 801-451-4156.

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