Truck Driver Charged With Aggravated Murder In Officer Death: KSUB News Summary

Prosecutors say an Indiana man who drove a semi-truck into the back of Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser on May 5th is now formally charged with his murder. Michael Aaron Jayne was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with aggravated murder, a capital offense; two counts of attempted aggravated murder and aggravated kidnapping and multiple other charges. If convicted on the murder charge, possible penalties include death, life in prison without the possibility of parole or 25 years to life in prison. Court documents detail that after hitting and killing Hooser, Jayne allegedly tried to run down a Utah Highway Patrol trooper and a woman on the scene. That woman told police Jayne had been holding her against her will by first threatening her at knifepoint in Beaver. The charges came the day after Hooser's family, fellow officers and the community paid their final respects to the officer as he was laid to rest. Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Gray has not said whether he intends to seek the death penalty if Jayne is convicted.

Missionary Charged With Rape

Saratoga Springs police say a 19-year-old who was serving in Utah County as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is facing charges that include forcible sodomy, rape and sexual battery. Police were called to a home north of Pony Express Parkway after a report someone had been sexually assaulted by a neighbor. Upon arrival, officers say they found Abraham Isaac Cruz Hernandez standing in a nearby driveway. The victim, whose age and identity were not released, told police the suspect grabbed her and forced her to perform sexual acts. Following notification of the charges, church officials released a statement saying the teenager was "immediately removed from his volunteer missionary service." Church officials say in situations where there are criminal allegations, a person also faces loss of church membership.

Associations Merge To Better Advocate For Utah

Two of the state's key industrial associations for defense and manufacturing are merging in an effort to expand Utah's footprint in national security endeavors. On Monday, Utah's recently rebranded association for aerospace and defense, 47G, and another association, Utah's Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Initiative, announced they were combining forces. Officials say this merger brings the state's top advocates for military innovation and specialized mineral extraction and manufacturing together to advance similar goals. 47G President and CEO Aaron Starks says the new organization will be called the 47G U-A-M-M-I Institute. Starks says the new organization's mission is to make Utah the "world's premier ecosystem for aerospace, defense and cyber companies."

Salt Lake City Leaders Consider Plan To Convert Main Street To Promenade

A project that would overhaul Main Street and convert it into more of a permanent promenade in the city has a 125-million dollar pricetag. Salt Lake City leaders and planners say the project is six decades in the making. Last week, the Salt Lake City Department of Economic Development released a long-awaited Main Street Promenade Study. The study outlines numerous concepts and costs to reimagine the road from South Temple to 400 South, as well as a block of 100 South from Main Street to the Salt Palace Convention Center. Development officials say ideas contained in the 215-page study offer a high level view of what could be possible in Salt Lake City in the foreseeable future. Including in the study are infrastructure changes and changes to traffic flow patterns.