A homeless California man has been sentenced to probation for abandoning his teenaged son at the Provo airport in January.
Jason Kenneth Alley, 38, pleaded guilty Monday in 4th District Court to a reduced count of attempted child abandonment, a class A misdemeanor. A 4th District Court judge said Alley will serve a year in jail if he fails to complete a 36-month probation.
Provo police said Alley left his 15-year-old son at the Provo Municipal Airport with no money and told the teen he never wanted to see him again.
Police said Alley and his son apparently had driven from San Diego to Salt Lake City in an attempt to find a homeless shelter to stay at. But when that failed, Alley drove his son to the airport and abandoned him.
Alley is currently serving 180 days in jail in Washington County for initiating a February standoff near St. George that shut down Interstate 15 for nine hours in February.
Alley had his two other children in the car during the standoff.
Police reported he had a handgun but did not threaten his children, and after hours of negotiation by cellphone, he let the children go.
In connection with the standoff, Alley pleaded guilty to a third-degree felony for failing to stop at an officer's command and two class A misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment.
