‘I don’t feel very safe.’ Utah man accused of waterboarding teen daughter

HEBER CITY, Utah (KSL) — A father was arrested Tuesday and accused of waterboarding his teen daughter.

David Nephi Johnson, 54, was booked into the Wasatch County Jail for investigation of aggravated child abuse.

The investigation began Jan. 21 when police received a report from the Division of Child and Family Services “that a 16-year-old female did not feel safe in her home and expressed fear for her life,” according to a police booking affidavit.

During an interview with the teen, she revealed that earlier that month, “her father waterboarded her. While describing the incident, the victim became visibly emotional and began crying,” the affidavit states. The girl claimed the punishment was for not cleaning her room and “having it be spotless to (her father’s) expectations” before she went out with friends.

When the teen returned home, Johnson “grabbed the victim by the back of her neck and took her into the bathroom while the sink was filling with water. She disclosed that David dunked her head under, brought it out, splashed water in her face, then dunked the victim’s head under again,” according to the affidavit. “The victim disclosed that she couldn’t breathe for about 20 to 30 seconds.”

The teen also “disclosed multiple incidents involving her siblings” allegedly being abused, including a younger brother whom she said Johnson also grabbed by the neck, “took him into the bathroom and forced his head under the water. The victim stated that David removed her brother from the water, splashed water on his face and nose, knocked him down and repeated the act multiple times,” the affidavit states.

The girl also disclosed a time that Johnson allegedly “backhanded her on the torso because she wasn’t compliant to do something. She stated: ‘He just was yelling at me and backhanded me, so I started to cry. He made fun of me for crying, yeah,'” according to the police affidavit. “I don’t feel very safe. When I go to bed, I feel like I can’t sleep because I don’t feel safe. When my dad’s not home, I feel fine. But when he’s home, I never feel safe because I feel like something is going to happen.”

“The Heber City Police Department remains committed to protecting children and holding offenders accountable,” the department stated on Tuesday. “Anyone with additional information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Heber City Police Department.”

Johnson is the Chair of the Republican Party in Wasatch County. KSL spoke with the vice chair of the Republican Party for Wasatch County, Patty Sprunt, who said she’d only observed a healthy relationship between Johnson and his family.

She urged everyone not to jump to conclusions saying a person is innocent until proven guilty.