PROVO, Utah — It’s been over 18 months since a Santaquin police sergeant was killed in the line of duty. On Tuesday, the man accused of intentionally striking Sgt. Bill Hooser with a semi truck was in court watching as witnesses took the stand, sharing details about the moments that led to the officer's death.
Michael Aaron Jayne was charged with aggravated murder in the death of Hooser on May 5, 2024.
Local News
Family says final goodbyes during services honoring Sgt. Bill Hooser
“From the perspective of the state, we have basically five crime scenes here,” said a prosecutor during Tuesday's preliminary hearing.
The crime scenes include a stretch of Interstate 15, a convenience store, and locations in Mona, Mt. Pleasant and the Vernal-Roosevelt area. Prosecutors called multiple witnesses to the stand who have been involved in various parts of the case and investigation.
One of the first called was Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Dustin Griffiths, a commercial safety inspector who was on-call that day in Juab County.
“I got a phone call from Richfield dispatch, letting me know that there was a reckless driving semi that potentially had a person on the back of it, and they wanted me to look for that vehicle,” said Griffiths.
Griffiths was told by dispatch to be on the lookout for a gray semi with a white trailer. After seeing the semi traveling northbound on I-15, Griffiths saw Hooser following the truck and joined him ahead of performing a traffic stop.
“As they went down to the bottom of the ramp and went through the stop sign, Sgt. Hooser activated his emergency lights, so I activated mine as well so we could continue through the intersection and conduct a traffic stop,” recalled Griffiths.
The trooper said both he and Hooser approached the driver, identified as Jayne, who did not cooperate or answer questions clearly. Griffiths added that he believed Jayne had previously called 911 to say he thought he was being followed by the Hell's Angels motorcycle gang.
Crime
Michael Jayne makes first court appearance for murder of Sgt. Hooser
Jayne’s girlfriend, Christine Hinckley, who was in the truck at the time of the incident, also testified, admitting that she had taken drugs in the hours before the hearing.
Griffiths said that while he was reviewing Jayne’s electronic logs, Hinckley slipped out of the truck and Hooser approached her.
When asked by the prosecutor why she got out of the truck, Hinckley answered, "I was not safe. I wanted to go home."
Griffiths had previously shared that after speaking with Hinckley, Hooser had motioned that Jayne needed to be taken into custody until they could determine what was going on.
As Griffths reached for the door, he said Jayne locked the vehicle, put the truck into gear and started to drive away. At that point, Griffiths said he saw and head Hinckley scream.
Hinckley said she was worried Jayne would hurt her, so she slipped out of the semi and ran outside to the officers.
"[Jayne] drove a little bit and turned that whole 80,000-pound, 53-foot reefer trailer around, and sharp turned like a pro, just turned around and then was going for us. And then I got out of the way and the sergeant did not,” Griffiths said.
“At that point, I turned around, and after I turned around, I saw Sgt. Hooser, as he was at his driver side door, as I saw this semi-truck strike Sgt. Hooser,” the trooper continued. "At that point, I realized the semi is coming toward me, I saw the tires turn, and head towards my direction.”
Griffiths said he was able to get out of the way of the oncoming semi, adding that if he hadn't, he believed he would have been hit as well.
"I was looking for Sgt. Hooser, could not see him, and I realized at that point he's probably still underneath the semi,” Griffiths said, while getting emotional. "I could make out a body that I assumed was Sgt. Hooser's.”
The prosecutor asked, “Was that person deceased?”
Griffiths responded, “Based on the actions of the officers standing over him, yes. They were not rendering aid; they were standing by him."
Griffiths proceeded to clear the semi and did not find Jayne inside. Officers then received reports that Jayne had ran to a nearby Maverik convenience store and stole a different semi from that location.
