Mouse Leads to Felony Child Sex

(Taylorsville, Utah) An odd sequence of events has resulted in the arrest of a 34-year-old local man, Paul Daniel Kunzler, for the alleged repeated sexual abuse of a 13-year-old girl.

It all started when one of Kunzler's housemates (one of three) pulled out a 9mm handgun to shoot a mouse.

The string of events began to unfold about 2 a.m. Tuesday when police were called to a house, 2584 W. Brucemont Dr. (5450 South), on a report of an accidental shooting.

Officers arrived to discover that a man who was in the bathroom had accidentally been shot in the chest by his 27-year-old housemate who was shooting at a mouse in the kitchen with a handgun, said Taylorsville Police Sgt. Tracy Wyant.

The bullet went through a wall and struck the 28-year-old man while he was in the bathroom.

Initially classified in serious condition, the wounded housemate has been upgraded and is now recuperating at the hospital in stable condition.

Meanwhile, the shooting prompted an investigation.

During an ensuing search of the house, officers found a 13-year-old girl hiding in a basement closet, Wyant said.

The girl told police she had sneaked out of her house without her father's knowledge to see Kunzler, according to a jail report.

After further questioning, investigators learned Kunzler and the 13-year-old had been having a relationship for four months.

Kunzler faces charges of rape of a child, sodomy of a child and sexual abuse of a child. It's speculated that the mouse got away.

Tip: slwlion