A federal grand jury has indicted a man from Tooele County, Utah, on multiple violent crime charges. The indictment follows an incident where Russell Allen allegedly zip-tied, kidnapped, and assaulted two motorcyclists who accidentally entered the Skull Valley Indian Reservation in Utah.
Russell Allen, aged 50, was initially charged by complaint on April 28, 2025. Court documents reveal that on April 26, 2025, Allen and another individual purportedly confronted the motorcyclists for trespassing on Indian land. The victims were reportedly forced to lie facedown, restrained with zip ties, kicked, and threatened with a knife. The assailants allegedly confiscated the victims' belongings as an impound for trespassing. Although law enforcement recovered the motorcycles at a maintenance shed on Skull Valley Indian Reservation Road, other stolen items like camera equipment and cell phones remain missing.
The victims were later driven to a remote desert area in a truck moving at approximately 100 mph before being released without their property. They had to walk over ten miles to seek assistance from Dugway gate guards—a journey estimated to have taken six or seven hours.
Allen faces charges of kidnapping, assault, and theft within Indian Country. His initial court appearance is scheduled for May 7, 2025, at 3:00 p.m., before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Salt Lake City.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti announced the indictment. The FBI Violent Crimes Task Force is investigating the case. Assistant United States Attorney Sam Pead is prosecuting.
An indictment is only an allegation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
