Homeless man pleads guilty to strangling Providence woman who offered him help

LOGAN — A 44-year-old man admitted to assaulting a Providence woman who tried to help him. Cesar Contreras-Guerrero has been incarcerated in the Cache County Jail since his arrest on December 19, 2023.

According to court records, Contreras-Guerrero participated Monday, May 6 in the 1^st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony; and kidnapping, upgraded to a third-degree felony. As part of the deal, prosecutors dismissed the remaining six charges.

According to prosecutors, Cache County sheriff’s deputies received a call from a 65-year-old woman on November 18, 2023. She explained how she allowed Contreras-Guerrero to stay in her apartment after learning that he had no place to go. live. The woman said he was doing construction work nearby and she intended to only let him stay two nights, but that turned into more than a month.

The night she called deputies, the woman said Contreras-Guerrero had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana. He began accusing her of drinking some of his alcohol and became furious.

The woman said Contreras-Guerrero confronted her in her bedroom and began hitting her, kicking her leg and punching her in the mouth. He then pushed her back onto her bed and began strangling her, causing her to lose consciousness several times. The assault lasted about five minutes, deputies reported.

As the struggle continued, the victim said Contreras-Guerrero damaged her cell phone so she couldn’t use it. He then went to the kitchen and returned with a knife, before sitting on a chair by the door, preventing her from leaving.

The woman told deputies how Contreras-Guerrero began to fall asleep, allowing her to grab the knife and flee the apartment. She approached some neighbors outside to tell them she needed help, before getting into her own vehicle and fleeing.

Contreras-Guerrero was seen on doorbell camera video leaving the apartment a short time later, carrying a suitcase to his vehicle and leaving. He later contacted the victim on social media, apologizing and expressing regret for what had happened.

At Monday’s hearing, Contreras-Guerrero was scheduled to be sentenced on June 10. He remains in jail without bail and faces up to 20 years in prison.