Man arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting woman in Salt Lake City alleyway

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A homeless man from Arkansas has been arrested and charged after luring a woman into an alleyway, threatening her, and sexually assaulting her.

Bobby Pickett, 41, is charged with three counts of aggravated sexual abuse, a first-degree felony.

According to court documents, on Oct. 26, 2025, a woman contacted the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLCPD) to report that she had been raped by a man who had only been in the area for a few weeks.

At that time, the man was not located, but a couple of days later, the woman approached the police again and told them that he was in a local homeless resource center. Police responded and identified him as Pickett.

The victim told police that she had met Pickett at the resource center on the day of the assault. Pickett told the victim that he would get her a hotel room so she could shower. However, before that, he brought her to an alleyway so he could purchase narcotics. While the two were in the alleyway together, Pickett allegedly took her pepper spray from her, which made her concerned.

As she attempted to leave, the victim said she felt “something sharp pressed into her side.”

Pickett asked the victim if she knew what it was and said, “That’s a knife.” He then demanded that she perform a sexual act on him. He forcibly sexually assaulted and abused the victim.

As soon as he let her go, the victim said that she took off running and went to the police.

SLCPD located several of the victim’s abandoned items in the area where she said the assault took place. Additionally, the victim had several bruises and abrasions that indicated sexual assault.

When Pickett was located, he allegedly told police that he didn’t remember anything and “suggested that something could have been reported if he was high or drunk and did not remember the event,” documents say.

Pickett was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he is currently being held without bail.

Documents say he has an extensive criminal history in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Arkansas, and Texas. Some of these crimes are violent, including assault, stalking, and domestic violence. He is from Arkansas originally, but is currently unhoused and has only been in the Salt Lake area for three weeks.