BOISE, Idaho — A Salt Lake City man was arrested Wednesday in connection with the attack and sexual assault of a female jogger that happened in November 2018.
Nicholas J. Campbell is charged with battery with intent to commit a serious felony and infliction of great bodily injury, according to a news release from the Ada County Sheriff's Office (ACSO). The crimes are punishable by up to 40 years in prison.
Officers with the Utah Department of Public Safety and the Bountiful Police Department arrested Campbell at his workplace on the Idaho arrest warrant. The warrant calls for the extradition of Campbell back to Idaho, according to the release.
Investigators have been in regular contact with the victim and she is aware that Campbell is in custody in Utah. Police say she does not know Cambell, who until recently lived in the same neighborhood where the attack happened. The Charter Pointe neighborhood is located near the Lake Hazel/Maple Grove roads south of Boise.
The release says it appears Campbell targeted the woman while watching her daily running route without her knowing. Police say the woman was running on W. Brogan Street and was grabbed by her neck. She started fighting to get away and was knocked to the ground. Campbell choked her from behind and she lost consciousness in the street, according to the release. She was then sexually assaulted and when she woke up, Campbell ran.
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The attack has been a high priority for ACSO’s Major Crimes Unit for over two years. Detectives and patrol deputies interviewed dozens of people and collected and reviewed all kinds of evidence, including the gathering of multiple DNA swabs from people of interest, according to the release. Police say Campbell was identified as a person of interest last spring after being contacted by a neighboring law enforcement agency investigating a different crime.
“A combination of comprehensive detective work and development of DNA evidence over the last year identified Campbell as the attacker,” said police in the news release.
Ada County Prosecutors presented the evidence to Judge Daniel Oths, who issued the arrest warrant with a $1 million bond attached.
Detectives determined Campbell has a violent sexual history with women and is a person of interest in at least one other sexual assault case. If you have any information about Campbell, call 208-577-578 or email Det. Shellie Strolberg at sstrolberg@adacounty.id.gov.
ACSO wants to thank the over 100 people investigators spoke to in the Charter Pointe neighborhood and everyone who called in a tip, checked security videos or provided information over the past two years.
