Man who shot Vernal officer sent to prison

VERNAL — A Vernal man who shot a police officer in the leg and threatened to kill another man during a domestic-violence incident on Halloween night has been sentenced to prison.

Jesus E. Martinez, 25, pleaded guilty in April to two counts of attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony; and discharge of a firearm into a home, a third-degree felony.

On Tuesday, 8th District Judge A. Lynn Payne ordered Martinez to serve five years to life in prison on each first-degree felony charge and up to five years in prison on the third-degree charge. The sentences on the attempted aggravated murder charges will run consecutive to one another but concurrent to the aggravated burglary and weapons charges, Payne said.

Officers were called to 150 Dale Ave. on Oct. 31 after a passer-by spotted a man peering through the basement windows of a home. When the first officer drove past the home, witnesses said, the man looking in the windows concealed himself behind a vehicle.

Vernal police officer Dustin Gray was the second officer to arrive. As he approached the vehicle where the man was hiding, Gray recognized the man as Martinez — someone he'd previously arrested. Gray tried to move around the vehicle, but Martinez circled it, then stood and fired four shots at the officer, hitting him once in the thigh.

After Gray made his way behind another vehicle for cover, Martinez walked over to the home and fired at least eight shots through a window into the basement living room, police said. He jumped through the window and attacked the homeowner, who was dating and living with Martinez's ex-girlfriend.

Martinez held a gun to the man's head and threatened to shoot him, but the weapon was empty and did not discharge.

Several additional officers arrived shortly after Gray was shot and arrested Martinez. One of those officers, David K. Harris, allegedly assaulted Martinez once he was in police custody.

Harris was fired from his job as a sergeant with the Vernal Police Department following an internal affairs investigation of the incident. He has been charged by the Utah Attorney General's Office with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. Harris is due in court June 30 for a pretrial conference.

Gray recovered from the gunshot wound and returned to duty.

e-mail: geoff@ubstandard.com

Twitter: GeoffLiesik