The mother of Darrien Hunt — the sword-carrying man shot and killed last year by Saratoga Springs police — has resolved the criminal case filed against her related to an alleged dust-up in October with the same police department that shot her son.
State court records show Susan Hunt, 52, entered into a diversion agreement Monday. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss misdemeanor charges against her if she does not commit any crimes and undergoes grief counseling within six months.
The diversion agreement applies to the three class C misdemeanor charges: disorderly conduct, failure to disperse and driving on a denied license. A fourth charge of class B misdemeanor interference with an arresting officer was dismissed.
Court records indicate that the agreement was forwarded to Saratoga Springs Justice Court Judge Carolyn Howard earlier this month, but Howard did not approve the conditions of the agreement until Monday.
A diversion agreement does not require a defendant to enter a plea to the charges, but if Hunt fails to comply with its terms, she could face prosecution.
The Saratoga Springs woman is accused of walking up to two officers, yelling at them and striking one of them during the Oct. 18 incident.
The encounter occurred more than a month after the Sept. 10, 2014, shooting that left Darrien Hunt dead from six gunshot wounds. Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman cleared the two officers in the shooting, saying the 22-year-old man lunged at police with a Samurai-style sword. The two officers — Cpl. Matt Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson — said they feared Hunt posed a public threat as he ran away from them toward a nearby store.
Hunt's family has since filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the two officers, as well as Saratoga Springs, arguing that the man's civil rights were violated when police demanded that he surrender the sword. The Hunt family also claims the shooting amounted to an excessive use of force, since Darrien Hunt was running from police when he was shot.
Last week, on the one-year anniversary of her son's death, Susan Hunt said she turned down a $900,000 settlement offer in the federal case because it would have barred her from commenting about the shooting.
"That's not going to clear his name," she said. "And I could not, in good conscience, agree to that."
jmiller@sltrib.com
Twitter: @jm_miller
Susan Hunt appears with her defense attorney, Ron Yengich, in court in Saratoga Springs on Friday, Jan. 23, 2014. Susan Hunt, mother of Darrien Hunt, who was shot and killed by Saratoga Springs police while carrying a sword in September, is facing misdemeanor charges stemming from a reported confrontation she had with officers from that police department in October. SPENSER HEAPS, Daily Herald
Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune Susan Hunt is embraced by her son Kerahn, who dressed the same way his brother did one year ago when he was killed by police in Saratoga Springs. Family, friends and supporters gathered to remember his final walk.
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