Man held pregnant girlfriend and her family hostage for six months

THE 23-YEAR OLD WAS ARRESTED SATURDAY AND FACES 28 CHARGES. 14:33, 20 May 2025 A man moved in with his pregnant girlfriend then held her and her family hostage for six months. Dominic

Garcia, 23, was arrested Saturday and faces 28 charges over the alleged hostage situation involving seven people. They include aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, threat of violence

and hazing involving the use of a dangerous weapon. The family of seven had allowed their daughter's boyfriend to move into their home in December 2024. Garcia is accused of threatening

family members with a gun, hurting family pets and forcing some members of the family to do bootcamp exercises and ice baths in preparation for possible violence against them from the

cartel. Police in Utah responded to a call from a home that a man and his six family members had been held against their will by their pregnant daughter's boyfriend, Garcia. The man in

the complaint, told authorities that they were holding Garcia at gunpoint because they "weren't able to take it any longer." Police arrived at the home and found Garcia at

gunpoint. He was taken into custody and the family was then interviewed by detectives. The family of seven had allowed Garcia to move into their home in December 2024 because he was dating

one of the daughters. "Almost immediately Dominic started telling the family that his family was part of a business that had ties to the cartel and that in order to stay on the

cartel's good side, they needed to do certain things and they needed to be diligent in their safety," a police document alleges. However, he admitted to police that he made the

whole thing up, the document said. Due to his business ties with cartel, he claimed they needed to do as they were told to stay alive. On one occasion, Garcia allegedly said that his family

had made a bad deal, and he and the victims had to leave the home for over a month. But once they returned, one of the family members referred to as “HS,” texted a friend explaining their

disappearance. Garcia saw the text and immediately responded by threatening to kill the family if they stepped out of line. Garcia then allegedly forced HS into a "boot camp,"

which included five workouts a day at any hour of the day. HS was also forced to do ice baths and made to hold her face underwater to the point of being unable to breathe. He allegedly

monitored the family members' phones and limited who could leave the home, and for a maximum of two hours per person. Another family member, referred to AS, told authorities that she

only left home three times after they returned from their month-long disappearance. She was also told to stand guard until 5:30 a.m. every night. 17-year-old family member, “TS,” missed a

month of her senior year of high school and “was extremely scared and believed her life was in danger.” Garcia’s pregnant girlfriend, “KS,” said Garcia made threats to kill her and her

family on “numerous occasions.” Garcia also “choked out their pet dogs on occasions when he became upset and had been violent towards her sister HS.” After his arrest and being informed of

his Miranda rights, Garcia admitted to carrying the gun, putting HS through the boot camp and that all the claims about the cartel were lies. He said he "did not know how to stop it in

fear that they would not like him." The affidavit states that the family believes Garcia “is still a danger to them and will come after them if he is let out of jail,” and multiple

family members believe there’s still a chance the cartel could kill them. Article continues below It included arguments for felony charges to be filed and claimed Garcia is a flight risk and

could flee to his family in Mexico. Garcia is currently being held without bail. _Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here._