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Charges have been filed against three people wanted for their alleged involvement in a beating at a gas station near Roosevelt that left one man with critical injuries.
Emmett Duncan Jr., 30, Megan Murray, 28, and Eric Welsh Jr., 23, were each charged in 8th District Court with second-degree aggravated assault and second-degree theft, both felonies. The three are accused of causing the May 15 assault on Johnny Maez in the parking lot of a Maverik convenience store at 1024 E. 200 North just outside of Roosevelt. The three, plus another unidentified male who police say also took part in the beating, have not been located by police and are believed to be hiding out on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation.
Roosevelt dispatchers confirmed Monday night that the three suspects still had not been located.
Maez received severe head injuries after three men ganged up on him as he was filling up his car with his wife on the afternoon of May 15. He was transported to Uintah Basin Medical Center and later airlifted to another hospital for further care. On Monday, Maez remained hospitalized in critical condition.
According to court documents, the three men showed up at the gas station in a car driven by Murray and then got into an altercation with Maez. Police described the participants of the fight as "rival gang members." Witnesses would later tell police that two of the three men were Duncan and Welsh. Court documents do not identify the third alleged assailant.
Maez allegedly pulled out a 9mm handgun, but the assailants allegedly took the weapon and struck Maez in the head with it. He was then hit and kicked several times by the men, according to court documents.
Police tracked the license plate of the vehicle the men fled in back to Murray, who investigators say rented the car from a Vernal company.
Although the assault occurred just outside of Roosevelt, which is in eastern Duchesne County, it happened just over the county line in Uintah County. For that reason, the warrants for the three suspects were issued out of Uintah County while Roosevelt police investigated the assault.
A motion filed on Monday in an unrelated case filed against Maez states that he remained hospitalized in critical condition. Maez was scheduled to appear Monday for a pretrial conference on misdemeanor charges of assault, disorderly conduct and criminal mischief. The conference was postponed because of his condition.
Twitter: @KimballBennion