Wyoming man charged with kidnapping thought teenager was 18, court documents say

POCATELLO — Court documents detail how authorities found a missing 16-year-old Utah girl with a 42-year-old man from Star Valley, Wyoming.

Anthony Holm was booked into the Bannock County Jail and charged with felony second-degree kidnapping. If Holm is found guilty, he could face up to 25 years in prison and a fine of up to $50,000.

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According to court documents, a deputy with the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to assist the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office in Utah to assist in finding a missing girl and a kidnapping suspect.

A 2024 Ford Bronco was spotted at a hotel located at the 100 block of Main Street in Lava Hot Springs on Nov. 14, matching the description given by Box Elder County of the alleged suspect.

The deputy reported that the vehicle did not have the plate matching the description, and the vehicle identification number was blocked.

Bannock County dispatch advised the deputy that the vehicle belonged to Holm, and authorities confirmed he was staying at the hotel.

The deputies spoke with Holm outside of his hotel room while another deputy talked to the 16-year-old girl.

The deputy asked Holm if he knew why deputies were looking for him, and he answered that he did, and that the girl was 18.

Holm was read his Miranda rights and asked when he met the girl. He said he met the girl on an app called Ashley Madison on Nov. 13.

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The document states Holm said the girl had told him she was 18 when asked by deputies.

It was in Willard, Utah, where Holm allegedly first picked up the 16-year-old, and the pair had stayed at a hotel in Salt Lake City before being found by deputies in Lava Hot Springs.

The deputy who went to speak with the 16-year-old reported finding her crying in the bathroom, and she was visibly shaking.

When asked whether she was injured, the girl said no, and she didn’t want to go home. She told the deputy about an incident at home where she was allegedly strangled and was scared of going back.

The deputy asked if she had reported the abuse, and was told yes and that an investigation was ongoing.

The girl confirmed with the deputy that she did tell Holm she was 18, but did not want Holm to go to jail.

Discussing the journey from Utah to Idaho, the girl told the deputy that Holm planned to take her back to his home but stopped in Lava Hot Springs. The pair had planned to go swimming and stay the night there.

The document states the girl was taken to the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, where they waited for her parents to arrive and take her home.

Holm is scheduled for a preliminary hearing before Magistrate Judge Carol Jarman at 1:30 p.m. on Nov. 25.

Though Holm has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.

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