Nashville police raided the home of Ryan Taugher on October 5 after detectives were notified of multiple full extradition warrants out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Taugher initially refused to come outside, and more than a dozen specialized team members approached the door, eventually entering and throwing what appeared to be a flash-bang as a distraction to take him into custody. Taugher faced recent charges in Nashville, which we covered in July after he was charged with the felony aggravated assault of his influencer girlfriend, McKinli Hatch. He pleaded those charges down from a felony to a misdemeanor last month and received a probated sentence.
Police say on September 28th, Taugher flew from Nashville to Salt Lake City after texting Mckinli asking where she was and repeatedly being told to leave her alone. Eventually, Mckinli stopped responding, and Taugher reportedly dressed in all black and set out to find her. While Mckinli was upstairs, she heard banging on her front door and began receiving calls from Taugher. Mckinli went to the basement to hide and saw Taugher climb through a basement window. She safely escaped through a window as soon as she had the chance. Once inside Mckini’s home, Taugher grabbed a steak knife and searched the house for her. He left when he couldn’t find her and was found near her house with the steak knife.
The Utah warrants note that Taugher’s actions put the community and Mckinli at great risk. A lethality assessment was conducted with Mckinli, to which she scored high risk, reporting that this is not the first time he has used weapons against her; he has also strangled her, and she believes he will try to kill her. It was additionally noted that Traugher is violently jealous of Mckinli, controls her daily activities, follows her, and leaves threatening messages for her. Mckinli stated that she is terrified that he may commit murder or suicide. Taugher was booked into Salt Lake County jail on September 28th and released on September 29th, prior to the state having the opportunity to review the submitted case, and he then returned to Nashville. His Utah warrants include felony burglary, stalking, illegal possession of a firearm, and theft.
