Justice - The Salt Lake Tribune

Bill to commit sex offenders who are incompetent for trial passes to Senate

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:43:02 MDT

Bill to commit sex offenders who are incompetent for trial passes to Senate

By Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 08:43PM MDT

Sex offenders who are too mentally ill to stand trial could be forcibly committed to mental hospitals under a bill that passed out of a state Senate committee Monday. The full Senate now will consider HB14, proposed by Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, in response to the case of Lonnie Johnson, a previously-convicted sex offender who faces 20 new child sex abuse counts. Johnson was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial and was released in April. Fourth District Court Judge James Taylor ruled he could ...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Family members charged in exploitation of grandma

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:39:02 MDT

Family members charged in exploitation of grandma

By Roxana Orellana The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 05:39PM MDT

Two men are facing felony charges for allegedly exploiting a 74-year-old family member. Jay Lee Allen, 29, is charged with one count of exploiting a vulnerable adult, a second-degree felony; unlawful use of a financial transaction card, a second-degree felony; and unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of a financial transaction card, a third-degree felony. The woman, who is Allen’s grandmother, told police that between Dec. 22, 2011, and January 2012 someone used her credit card 33 time...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Woman gets jail for issuing fraudulent driver licenses

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:28:33 MDT

Woman gets jail for issuing fraudulent driver licenses

By aaron falk The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 04:28PM MDT

A former Utah Driver License Division employee who issued licenses to undocumented immigrants has been sentenced to 30 days in jail. Third District Judge William Barrett on Monday suspended a prison term for Evevia Nez, 47, of Kearns. Instead the woman will begin serving her jail time next week. Nez pleaded guilty in December to one third-degree felony count of receiving a bribe. Three other identical counts were dismissed. According to court documents, Nez issued more than 50 licenses in 2008 ...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Kearns man sent to prison for ignoring fatal abuse

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:50:03 MDT

Kearns man sent to prison for ignoring fatal abuse

By aaron falk The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 12:50PM MDT

A Kearns man accused of turning a blind eye to the abuse that eventually killed a mentally disabled woman in his home has been sentenced to prison for one to 15 years. A jury last year convicted Dale Beckering, 52, of second-degree felony aggravated abuse of a vulnerable adult. Prosecutors say Beckering knew of the abuses suffered by 22-year-old Christina Harms and, at times, participated in them. In court Monday, Beckering said “as much as I deeply regret what happened and I wish I could undo...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah woman sent to prison for plotting to sell daughter’s virginity

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:42:33 MDT

Utah woman sent to prison for plotting to sell daughter’s virginity

By aaron falk The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 12:42PM MDT

A Salt Lake City woman who plotted to sell her teen daughter’s virginity for $10,000 has been sentenced to one to 15 years in prison. The 32-year-old woman, whose name is being withheld to protect her daughter’s identity, pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court last year to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony. Judge Randall Skanchy ordered the two terms to run concurrently. Two first-degree felony counts of aggravated sex abuse were dismissed as part of the deal. T...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Winter storm watch in southern Utah, mountain snow north

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:31:45 MDT

Winter storm watch in southern Utah, mountain snow north

By Sheena MCFarland The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 13, 2012 10:31AM MDT

A winter storm watch is in effect for the southwestern part of Utah Monday into Tuesday, with snow totals potentially hitting two feet in the mountains. The southern mountains and the cities of Loa, Panguitch and Bryce Canyon likely will see the biggest effects during the watch, in effect from 10 a.m. Monday to 10 p.m. Tuesday. The mountains in the northern part of the state likely will see snow totals reaching about a foot, said Mike Seaman, forecaster for the National Weather Service. The val...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Utah gubernatorial candidate OK after truck crashes

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:15:33 MDT

Utah gubernatorial candidate OK after truck crashes

By Robert Gehrke The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 12, 2012 07:15PM MDT

Gubernatorial candidate Morgan Philpot and two of his campaign workers walked away uninjured after their pickup went off a highway and down a 100-foot embankment Saturday night. Philpot was in a truck with campaign workers Toby Emory and Keith Kuder as they drove in a caravan with others returning from the Uintah County Lincoln Day Dinner. The trio was coming over the crest of snowy Daniels Summit on Highway 40 when their Nissan pickup started to fishtail and went over the edge of the embankmen...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Two small quakes strike Garfield County

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:01:02 MDT

Two small quakes strike Garfield County

By Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 10:01PM MDT

No damage was reported in Garfield County Saturday night after two small earthquakes struck near the city of Panguitch. Garfield County authorities said someone called to report they heard a loud boom and their home shook when the first 3.3-magitude quake struck about 8 p.m. about a mile north-northeast of Panguitch. No damage or injuries were reported. A little more than an hour later, the U.S. Geological Survey reported a second quake had struck the county almost in the same spot. The second —...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

‘People should vote where they live,’ says lawsuit filer in Alta dispute

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:57:51 MDT

‘People should vote where they live,’ says lawsuit filer in Alta dispute

By Christopher Smart The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 07:57PM MDT

Home is where the heart is. Or, maybe not. A case pending in 3rd District Court could change that. Alta resident Guy Jordan is claiming that Alta Town Councilman Steven “Piney” Gilman is not really a resident of the tiny town. It is the first judicial challenge under a statute passed in 2010 that allows Utahns to appeal a county clerk’s decision on voter eligibility. The outcome may set legal precedent for residency qualifications of those seeking to vote and to hold elective office in Alta and...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bright, sensitive brothers remembered with laughter, tears

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:37:02 MDT

Bright, sensitive brothers remembered with laughter, tears

By Brooke Adams The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 05:37PM MDT

Tacoma, Wash. • It was not about the grown-ups, it was about the little ones. With those words, the memorial service for Charlie and Braden Powell moved from a week’s worth of horror to a moment of tears, laughter and sweet memories of two bright, sensitive boys. Braden was just 5 but already a “budding puzzle master,” said Christie King, of Mel Korum YMCA, where he attended a preschool program. “Braden had a sharp mind and big imagination” and was known for “telling exciting stories,” she said...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rogue hot air balloon takes Utahns for unexpected ride

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:31:02 MDT

Rogue hot air balloon takes Utahns for unexpected ride

By Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 05:31PM MDT

A rogue hot air balloon took about a dozen people on an extremely memorable, but unexpected free ride Saturday. Cottonwood Heights police said the balloon’s pilot had just taken off from the Draper area when he decided for whatever reason to make an unscheduled landing about 10:30 a.m. in the Pei Wei parking lot near the 1100 block of East Fort Union Boulevard. Several bystanders watched as the man narrowly missed striking some power lines and hitting some shops, then saw it land hard in the par...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Provo police release sketch of person of interest in trail assault

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:49:02 MDT

Provo police release sketch of person of interest in trail assault

By Roxana Orellana The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 03:49PM MDT

Provo police released a sketch depicting a person of interest in a Monday assault at the Provo River trail. Police said they received calls with tips regarding the attack of a 20-year-old female jogger who was running on the trail about 9 p.m. Monday. The woman told police she was grabbed, pulled off the trail and sexually assaulted at knifepoint. The tips included a description of a man who was seen in the area shortly after the attack, police said. That description matched the one given by t...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Rasmussen case: Millerberg files for divorce from husband, co-defendant

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:44:20 MDT

Rasmussen case: Millerberg files for divorce from husband, co-defendant

By Cimaron Neugebauer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 12:44PM MDT

Dea Millerberg, charged in connection with the death of baby-sitter Alexis Rasmussen, has filed for divorce from her husband — and co-defendant — Eric Millerberg. The 38-year-old woman made the move to distance herself further from her husband. She filed a divorce petition in Ogden’s 2nd District Court Thursday afternoon shortly after getting out of jail. Millerberg also filed a motion for a fee waiver in the divorce case, court documents show. According to jail documents, Millerberg spent less...

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Firefighters: Space heater caused vault explosion in South Jordan

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:17:02 MDT

Firefighters: Space heater caused vault explosion in South Jordan

By Cimaron Neugebauer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 11, 2012 12:17PM MDT

A lit space heater sparked the explosion that injured three workers after a hose from a propane tank leaked and filled a vault in South Jordan on Friday. The three men who work for a private contractor were painting a large underground water line for Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District when the explosion happened near 7000 West and the Old Bingham Highway, South Jordan Fire Capt. Nathan Morreale said. “One person was in the vault at the time, just getting ready to start,” he said. That ma...

Prosecutors object to Utah drug doctor’s freedom during appeal

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:29:13 MDT

Prosecutors object to Utah drug doctor’s freedom during appeal

By Melinda Rogers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 07:29PM MDT

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has asked the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver to overturn a ruling by a federal judge allowing a Brigham City doctor convicted of illegally distributing painkillers to stay out of prison through an appeals process. U.S. District Judge Dee Benson last month denied a request to allow Dewey C. MacKay, 64, to stay out of prison while his attorneys appeal his guilty verdict and 20-year prison sentence. But the judge also granted a request from MacKay’s attorney, Pe...

Man who threatened governor is charged

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:28:02 MDT

Man who threatened governor is charged

By Roxana Orellana The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 06:28PM MDT

The man arrested last week for alledgedly threatening to assassinate Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was charged in 3rd District Court on Friday. Brian Biff Baker, 52, of Kearns, is charged with one count of possession or use of a controlled substance, a second-degree felony; purchase, transfer, possession or use of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony; and threatening elected officials, a class B misdemeanor. On Feb. 2, Baker sent messages to a friend saying that he was lying...

What might the Powell boys have known about their mother’s disappearance?

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:28:02 MDT

What might the Powell boys have known about their mother’s disappearance?

By melinda Rogers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 04:28PM MDT

As the nation continues to grieve for Charlie and Braden Powell, a theory has been offered by family members and attorneys: Josh Powell knew his children were starting to talk more about their mother’s disappearance before he killed them. New information about what exactly the boys have said since their mother, Susan Powell, disappeared has surfaced in recent days. Chuck Cox said earlier this week that in 2010, the summer after Susan Powell went missing, her then 3-year-old son Braden was drawin...

Powell boys’ funeral will bring stories, tears, prayers

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:15:20 MDT

Powell boys’ funeral will bring stories, tears, prayers

By melinda Rogers The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 03:15PM MDT

The sleepless nights haven’t stopped since Charlie and Braden Powell died. For those closest to the 5- and 7-year-old boys, murdered Sunday by their father, a string of horrific questions continually arise: How much did the boys suffer when their supposedly loving dad attacked them with a hatchet, then set a fatal fire to a house where they should have felt safe? Did the children scream for help? Could anyone have prevented Josh Powell’s unspeakable acts? When family and friends gather Saturday...

Comforter with bloodstain taken from Powell storage being tested

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:46:29 MDT

Comforter with bloodstain taken from Powell storage being tested

By Brooke Adams The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 02:46PM MDT

Puyallup, Wash.• A search warrant report released Friday reveals West Valley City Police are testing a small bloodstain on a comforter found last week at Josh Powell’s storage unit. Pierce County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ed Troyer said West Valley City is testing the comforter as part of its investigation into the 2009 disappearance of Powell’s wife, Susan Powell. Troyer said the stain “was not a large amount” of blood. <freeform> <iframe width=”470” height=”269” src=”http://www.yout...

Propane explosion injures 3 painters in South Jordan

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:02:41 MDT

Propane explosion injures 3 painters in South Jordan

By Aaron Falk, Bob Mims, Janelle Stecklein and Steven Oberbeck The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Feb 10, 2012 02:02PM MDT

South Jordan • Police and firefighters rushed to the scene of a propane explosion that injured three painters, one critically, late Friday morning. South Jordan Fire Capt. Nathan Morreale said the incident occurred at 9:54 a.m. as three men with a private contractor working for Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District were painting a pipeline near 7000 West and the Old Bingham Highway. The workers had placed a propane heater just above the concrete vault where they were working to keep warm, M...