Paula Moala, 33, of West Valley City, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony. Prosecutors are asking that he be held without bail pending trial, KSL.com reported.
The charges concern a July TRAX ride. KSL’s account of the charging documents says two sister missionaries reported speaking with Moala and becoming uncomfortable after he asked whether they had boyfriends. The documents allege that he lowered the front of his shorts, climbed onto both women and made pelvic contact with them. Detectives said surveillance video recorded the incident, KSL reported.
For historical context, a Salt Lake Tribune analysis of UTA’s 2012 crime data found that riders were more likely to encounter crime or intoxicated or drug-using people on bus routes than on TRAX or FrontRunner. That analysis concerns data from more than a decade ago and does not establish current safety conditions.
