Driver on meth, paranoid and violent before killing Santaquin officer, woman says

SANTAQUIN, Utah — The woman who was with Michael Aaron Jayne shortly before he allegedly hit and killed a Santaquin police sergeant with his semitruck says Jayne was using meth and acting paranoid prior to being pulled over, according to court documents.

Jayne, 42, of Garrett, Indiana, is charged with aggravated murder, a capital offense, in the death of Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser, as well as several other crimes including aggravated kidnapping for allegedly taking the woman against her will. If convicted on the aggravated murder charge, he could receive the death penalty.

Hooser was killed on May 5 after he and a Utah Highway Patrol trooper had pulled over the semitruck that Jayne was driving. A series of recently unsealed search warrant affidavits provide glimpses into what happened prior to the fatal confrontation as well as during the search for Jayne, who was arrested hours later after leading police in Vernal on a brief chase that ended with Jayne crashing.

The woman who police say was in the cab with Jayne, had agreed to accompany him during his latest trucking job.

“Michael arranged for the female to fly out of Idaho to meet him in Arizona for a truck hauling job he was on. The female reported they made their way to California and then through Las Vegas where they did truck repairs on the morning of Saturday, May 4,” one affidavit states.

But at some point between Las Vegas and Beaver, the woman said they “ingested methamphetamine at an unknown truck stop.”

“After Jayne used meth, the girlfriend stated Jayne got really paranoid and started to become violent,” according to another affidavit.

Read the full story at KSLTV.com

Related:

•  Slain Santaquin officer enjoyed ‘making a difference’ with police work
• Police: Suspect in Sgt. Bill Hooser killing held a woman against her will when pulled over
• Suspect in Sgt. Hooser’s death charged in Utah County