Justice - The Salt Lake Tribune

Bystanders save Salt Lake County boy from drowning

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:47:56 MDT

Bystanders save Salt Lake County boy from drowning

by Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 06:47PM MDT

Bystanders are credited with rescuing a 4-year-old from drowning at a West Jordan apartment complex swimming pool. The boy was swimming with his mother and an older sibling about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday in the outdoor pool at the Willow Cover Apartments, near 9300 S. Redwood Rd., police said. A bystander had seen the boy playing in the pool with a flotation device, said West Jordan Police Lt. Rich Bell. When the man looked again, he noticed the same device was floating alone in the pool, Bell said. ...

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West Valley City man who aimed gun at cops' faces porn charge

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 18:35:52 MDT

West Valley City man who aimed gun at cops' faces porn charge

by Brooke Adams The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 06:35PM MDT

A man shot in May during a confrontation with police in the lobby of the West Valley City Police Department has been indicted by a federal grand jury on a child pornography charge. James Ramsey Kammeyer Jr., 39, faces one count of knowingly receiving and distributing child pornography between March 1 and March 30, according to the indictment filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court. Kammeyer, a registered sex offender, walked into the city’s police building on April 29 and approached a civilian cl...

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Judge dismisses charges against Springdale officials in tourist ticketing case

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:25:41 MDT

Judge dismisses charges against Springdale officials in tourist ticketing case

by Kimball Bennion The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 04:25PM MDT

St. George • The Springdale Police Department’s habit of stopping foreign tourists for traffic violations and collecting the drivers’ fines without a court’s involvement was clearly a bad policy, according to the judge weighing the charges against two town officials who oversaw the policy and its funds, but it wasn’t enough to constitute a crime. Springdale Police Chief Kurt Wright and City Manager Richard “Rick” Wixom walked out of the 5th District Court on Wednesday afternoon absolved of third...

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High fire danger across Utah as three blazes continue to burn

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 16:25:41 MDT

High fire danger across Utah as three blazes continue to burn

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 04:25PM MDT

Though most of the state remained under a red flag warning due to high fire danger, firefighters still only had three major blazes to worry about Wednesday morning. And they continued to make progress on containing those fires burning in parts of rural eastern Utah.• The Rock Creek Fire, sparked by lightning, is burning about 15 miles east of East Carbon City and has scarred about 181 acres of steep, rugged terrain. By Wednesday, the blaze was 25 percent contained. • The Dark Canyon Fire in Mant...

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Unlicensed Utah midwife charged in newborn’s death

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:16:03 MDT

Unlicensed Utah midwife charged in newborn’s death

by Michael Mcfall The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 03:16PM MDT

An unlicensed midwife has been charged in the death of a newborn boy from Moab. Valerie El Halta, 71, of Eagle Mountain, was charged on Tuesday in 7th District Court with unlawful conduct, a felony for which she could serve up to five years in prison. She was also charged with negligent homicide and reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors that carry a jail sentence of up to one year. El Halta has never been licensed in Utah, according to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing. Yet accordi...

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East Utah blaze causes $5 million in damage for business

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:42:02 MDT

East Utah blaze causes $5 million in damage for business

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 09:42AM MDT

A fire near Naples on Tuesday night caused an estimated $5 million in damage. Fire officials said the blaze started about 6:30 p.m. at the Coyote Press Station, about 40 miles south of Vernal. When firefighters arrived they found four 500 barrel tanks of condensate (a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons separated from gas), mixing tanks and other equipment engulfed in flames. Due to the intense heat and other safety concerns, fire crews let the fire burn down before extinguishing it using foam. No on...

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Woman pleads guilty to stealing from Girl Scout cookie table

Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:10:57 MDT

Woman pleads guilty to stealing from Girl Scout cookie table

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 19, 2013 08:10AM MDT

A woman who stole more than a $1,000 from a local Girl Scout troop was sentenced to up to 5 years in prison Monday. Kayla Marie Long, 24, of Ogden, pleaded guilty in 3rd District Court to one count of third-degree felony theft and was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $700 in restitution. Court documents allege that a car driven by Long had been circling the Wal-Mart parking lot in Taylorsville, 5469 S. Redwood Road, where a Girl Scout troop had set up a sales table. One troop leader said ...

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Woman charged with felony animal torture for killing dog with insecticide

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:19:03 MDT

Woman charged with felony animal torture for killing dog with insecticide

by Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:19PM MDT

A Salt Lake City woman has been charged with felony animal torture for allegedly spraying insecticide down the throat of her dog. In charges filed Tuesday, police wrote that a man on Saturday opened the garbage can at his apartment near 1360 S. Emery (1170 West) to find the body of his neighbor’s dog wrapped in a blanket. The neighbor, a 53-year-old woman, told police that she sprayed Raid down the dog’s throat, wrapped it in a blanket and threw it in the garbage can. She was charged with tor...

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Husband charged with abusing sick wife

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:01:02 MDT

Husband charged with abusing sick wife

by Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:01PM MDT

A Riverton man is accused of abusing his wife, a multiple sclerosis patient who allegedly was found badly neglected with untreated sores and serious infections. In charges filed Tuesday, police wrote that the woman, 55, was taken to a hospital May 8 for severe sepsis and encephalopathy. The woman’s body had multiple open sores, including a bedsore about 5 inches in diameter on her back, and uncleaned feces on her body, investigators wrote. Her bedding was stained and appeared not to have been c...

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Judge tosses lawsuit claiming DCFS took kids from family because father is black

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:14:02 MDT

Judge tosses lawsuit claiming DCFS took kids from family because father is black

by Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 09:14PM MDT

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit filed by a Clinton couple who claimed they lost custody of their children because the father is black. In a ruling filed Tuesday, Judge Clark Waddoups wrote that Kelvin and Sharon Davis cannot sue Utah’s Division of Child and Family Services in federal court because they did not send to the state a required notice that they intended to sue a government agency. Waddoups also wrote that the federal district court lacked jurisdiction over the state court’s d...

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Competency in question for Utah man accused of killing father

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:37:09 MDT

Competency in question for Utah man accused of killing father

by Jessica Miller The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 06:37PM MDT

Court proceedings have been halted for a 32-year-old Monroe man accused of killing his 77-year-old father last July. William Lawton is charged in 6th District Court with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, in the death of James Lawton. On Tuesday, prosecutors and Lawton’s defense attorney told a 6th District Court judge they believe the man is incompetent to stand trial and should be committed the Utah State Hospital, according to court records. After viewing a competency report, the judge...

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Tremonton cop investigated for sexual exploitation

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:37:09 MDT

Tremonton cop investigated for sexual exploitation

by Michael Mcfall The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 06:37PM MDT

A Tremonton police officer is under investigation for sexual exploitation of a minor. Paul Murphy, spokesman for the Utah attorney general’s office, confirmed Tuesday that the office is investigating the case but could not comment further, since the investigation is ongoing. He was arrested Thursday under suspicion of the charge, said Tremonton police Sgt. Todd Hunsaker.The officer has been with the department for more than 10 years and the news is “quite shocking to all of us,” Hunsaker said. ...

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Semi crash on I-15 delays traffic near North Salt Lake

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:03:02 MDT

Semi crash on I-15 delays traffic near North Salt Lake

by Kimball Bennion The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 02:03PM MDT

The Utah Highway Patrol is investigating the crash of a semi-trailer truck on Interstate 15 that has traffic backed up throughout southern Davis County Tuesday afternoon. Cpl. Todd Johnson said the semi rolled, causing several lanes in both southbound and northbound highways to close temporarily. As of 1:50 p.m. the northbound lanes near Beck Street in North Salt Lake had re-opened. The Utah Department of Transportation reported that two southbound lanes were opened near 2600 South. The entire s...

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Utah woman dies after skydiving accident

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:45:02 MDT

Utah woman dies after skydiving accident

by Michael Mcfall The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 01:45PM MDT

She was an experienced skydiver. But on Sunday afternoon, a 30-year-old Grantsville woman died when something went wrong. The woman was skydiving with other people over Tooele Valley Airport, which is about five miles northwest of Tooele, said Tooele County Chief Deputy Sheriff Duke North. But sometime after her chute deployed, something went wrong and she hit the ground hard, North said. The airport called 911 at 12:30 p.m. Emergency responders found her with head and leg injuries and immediate...

Utah ambulance driver to stand trial on negligent homicide charge

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:29:03 MDT

Utah ambulance driver to stand trial on negligent homicide charge

by Jessica Miller The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:29AM MDT

An ambulance driver involved in a fatal accident last July in South Ogden has been ordered to stand trial on a charge of negligent homicide. Sean Reed Stephens-Applonie, 28, pleaded not guilty Monday to negligent homicide, a class A misdemeanor. After hearing testimony about the July 7 accident on Monday, 2nd District Judge Brent West determined there was enough evidence for Stephens-Applonie to stand trial on the misdemeanor charge. The July accident killed 88-year-old Arline H. Logan, who was...

Wanted Utah man creates new life in Mexico, but cops find him anyway

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:14:02 MDT

Wanted Utah man creates new life in Mexico, but cops find him anyway

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:14AM MDT

It didn’t take Jesse Amos Bunker long to establish a new life in Mexico. In less than five years, the 33-year-old had purportedly built a nice life for himself, complete with a wife and a 1-year-old child, said Sgt. Jason Randall, who works with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Investigations Unit and the Joint Criminal Apprehension Team (JCAT). But Bunker also had a secret. In March 2009, he had posted $20,000 bond for 10 first-degree felony counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a chil...

Charges filed against Utah man accused of shooting father-in-law in Ogden church

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 10:10:49 MDT

Charges filed against Utah man accused of shooting father-in-law in Ogden church

by Jessica Miller The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 10:10AM MDT

Six felony charges were filed Tuesday against a 35-year-old man accused of shooting his father-in-law in the head during Sunday Mass in Ogden. Charles Richard Jennings Jr., of North Ogden, is charged in 2nd District Court with one count of attempted murder, two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of aggravated robbery, all first-degree felonies, along with possession or use of firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony. Jennings is scheduled to appear in Ogden’s courthouse ...

32-year-old man killed in Logan crash

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:41:19 MDT

32-year-old man killed in Logan crash

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 08:41AM MDT

A 32-year-old Logan man died Monday night after his vehicle vaulted off a Logan street and down a hill. Logan police said they responded about 11 p.m. to the area of 1300 East and 1400 North after witnesses said they saw a vehicle travelling too fast westbound on 1500 North near 1450 East. Witnesses said Jacob Bradley Sorenson failed to navigate the curve, and his vehicle vaulted off the side of the roadway and down the hill, police said. Officers said the vehicle rolled multiple times and Sore...

Man shot while parked at Salt Lake City park

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:08:45 MDT

Man shot while parked at Salt Lake City park

by Janelle Stecklein The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 08:08AM MDT

A man was recovering Monday morning after he was shot at a Salt Lake City park overnight. Salt Lake City police Capt. John Cardona said the man was parked inside his vehicle at Jordan Park, 963 W. Fremont Ave. (1110 South) about 1:25 a.m. when he heard two loud pops. Then his windshield shattered. The man then drove to a convenience store at the intersection of California Avenue and Emery Street (1170 West) and called for help, Cardona said. Cardona didn’t know where the man was struck by the ...

Man dies cliff diving at Flaming Gorge

Tue, 18 Jun 2013 08:08:45 MDT

Man dies cliff diving at Flaming Gorge

by Erin Alberty The Salt Lake Tribune

Published Jun 18, 2013 08:08AM MDT

A man died this weekend when he jumped from a cliff into Flaming Gorge. Michael Pond, 24, was with friends Saturday afternoon who drove to a spot near the top of a high cliff in the Big Firehole area, the Sweetwater, Wyo., County sheriff’s office reported. Pond told his friends he wanted to jump into the water from a 175-foot cliff about 3 miles southwest of the bay at Big Firehole, deputies wrote. The friends tried unsuccessfully to discourage Pond, deputies wrote. After he jumped, he did not r...