Police: Two Moab residents assaulted, one stabbed after campfire disagreement

GRAND COUNTY, Utah — An older woman is in the hospital after a man allegedly attacked her with a “taser device” and a knife Saturday morning.

At approximately 7 a.m., near 100 South 200 West in Moab, Utah, a 68-year-old woman and a 53-year-old man were walking their dogs, according to the Moab Police Department.

The two victims noticed a man, later identified as 38-year-old Alex Kensell, in an empty lot next to a stream with a fire. They told Kensell that campfires were illegal within Moab city limits and walked away.

According to police, Kensell assaulted the woman with a “taser device,” causing her to fall over on the ground. The suspect began stabbing the woman multiple times with a “fixed blade knife.”

The man “was able to force the suspect away from the female victim and create a distraction, causing the suspect to chase him,” according to the police press release.

Officers with the Moab City PD and Grand County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and took Kensell into custody without further issue.

According to police, the woman was transported to a hospital in serious condition and flown to Utah Valley Regional Hospital for advanced care. She was stabilized and is expected to recover.

“It is likely she would not have survived the attack if her friend hadn’t reacted so quickly and heroically,” stated police. “His action effectively kept the assailant away from his friend.”

According to the affidavit, Kensell was booked into the Grand County Jail for multiple charges;

• aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury (second-degree felony),
• aggravated assault (third-degree felony),
• reckless burning (misdemeanor),
• possession of a controlled substance (misdemeanor),
• two counts of transaction of dangerous weapon by class 1 restricted person (third-degree felonies),
• and murder. (second-degree felony.)