Man named Pirate with long history of sexual abuse arrested for assault in eastern Idaho
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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains graphic descriptions of violence and sexual abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
DOWNEY — A sex offender who legally changed his name to Pirate was arrested after allegedly burning a woman with a cigarette and putting his foot in her mouth.
On Nov. 9, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office was asked to conduct a welfare check on a woman in Downey who had been allegedly assaulted by Pirate, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahoNews.com. Pirate is the legal name of a man formerly known as Daniel Selovich. He has sexual assault convictions and allegations in multiple states.
Pirate is charged with felony aggravated battery in Bannock County.
When deputies spoke with the victim, she said she met Pirate on a dating app and agreed to let him stay the night with her. The victim told investigators that during the night, Pirate allegedly used a cigarette to leave multiple burn marks on her body and a large scratch on her back.
The victim said she believed Pirate had recently been in Salt Lake City and, while he was visiting her, he looked himself up online to see if any warrants were out for his arrest in Utah. Deputies called the Salt Lake City Police Department, who said that on Nov. 6, Pirate head-butted a woman multiple times at a Salt Lake motel.
The women in both Idaho and Utah did not want to press charges against Pirate, according to court documents.
Deputies found several news stories about Pirate. They discovered Pirate is a registered sex offender in Missouri and looked further into the case.
By the time investigators discovered Pirate was a registered sex offender, the woman in Downey called back and said she wanted to press charges.
When the victim opened up to detectives, she said Pirate arrived at her home on Nov. 7, and she agreed to let him stay for a few days. When she and Pirate went into her bedroom, he allegedly bit her lip and neck so hard it made her cry.
“Pirate held her (mouth open) so that he could ash his cigarette into her mouth,” according to the probable cause. “(The victim) said that he took pictures as she held the ash in her mouth.”
The alleged violence continued with the victim saying Pirate shoved his foot into her mouth and held her down.
The victim said she was apprehensive about contacting police since she feared Pirate would retaliate against her.
Pirate’s history
Numerous media outlets across the country have reported stories of Pirate in the past.
In 2010, authorities arrested Pirate for a 2004 rape of a Redding, California, woman, KRCR TV reported. Pirate pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four years in prison.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that in 2004, Pirate broke into the Las Vegas motel room of a mentally and physically disabled woman. The victim said that Pirate beat her with a belt as he sexually assaulted her.
Pirate was not charged in the case until his DNA came back as a match 12 years later. He pleaded guilty to sexually motivated coercion, and a judge ordered him to spend up to five years in prison in 2018.
Before his arrest in Las Vegas, Pirate allegedly committed crimes in Alaska. The Anchorage Daily News reported that in 2015, Pirate allegedly held a woman captive for five weeks in a remote Alaskan cabin. Over five weeks, Pirate sexually assaulted her.
“The charges described harrowing torture and assault,” according to the Anchorage Daily News. “During the next five weeks, (the victim) was sexually assaulted daily, beaten, kicked, bitten, cut with a knife and duct-taped to Selovich at night, according to prosecutors. Authorities said Selovich used a rope to tether her neck to a ceiling rafter, keeping her captive during the day. He threatened to ‘cut her face off,’ according to the charges.”
The victim managed to call for help and was rescued by helicopter. But before Pirate could go to trial, the woman died, and the case was dismissed in 2016. It was the DNA in this case that connected Pirate to the Las Vegas sexual assault.
After serving his sentence in Nevada, sightings of Pirate popped up in multiple places, including Alaska, Nevada, Missouri, California and now Idaho, according to court documents.
Law enforcement in California warned the public about his reappearance. In a January Facebook post, the Redding Police Department shared how they were aware Pirate was in the area, but he was not wanted for any crimes and was a free man.
Authorities located Pirate in Bannock County and arrested him on Wednesday. He remains in the Bannock County Jail on $25,000 bail.
Although Pirate is charged with the crime in Idaho, it does not necessarily mean he committed it. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted of felony aggravated battery, Pirate could be ordered to spend up to 15 years in prison.
A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Nov. 23.