The man accused of plowing into and killing a Santaquin police officer with a semitruck early Sunday has a lengthy criminal history, including a 2009 assault conviction after he nearly killed an Oregon officer with a vehicle.
The man, a 42-year-old California native, has faced a slew of charges dating back to at least 2001, according to public court records. In addition to past allegations of assault on law enforcement, he has also been accused of stealing vehicles and fleeing authorities — similar to the fatal Sunday crash, manhunt and subsequent police pursuit in Utah that ended in his arrest.
As of Monday afternoon, the man had not been formally charged in connection with the Sunday morning crash on Interstate 15 near Santaquin that left Santaquin police Sgt. Bill Hooser dead, court records indicate. The Salt Lake Tribune generally does not name defendants unless they have been charged with a crime.
In 2001, the same man was convicted of resisting a police officer in California. In that case, court records show, a truck stop cashier called police to report hat the man had shoplifted. When deputies arrived, they struggled with the man.
A deputy later testified in court that the man had tried to drive away as the deputy worked to remove him from the vehicle. The deputy recalled being pinned in the car and “pulled along” as the man’s vehicle, a Chevrolet Blazer, lunged forward, according to a court transcript.
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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.