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Houston man charged with felonous assault in Friday incident in which officer fired gun
By Ed Runyan
VIENNA
Jason B. Utley, 43, of Houston, is charged with felonious assault, failure to comply with the orders of a police officer and seven traffic violations from a Friday incident in which a Vienna police officer fired his weapon.
The felonious-assault charge stems from Utley’s driving toward the unidentified officer who fired his weapon, and the officer having to “leap out of the way” to avoid being hit, Vienna Police Chief Bob Ludt said.
Because of the gunfire, the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is handling that part of the incident, and he cannot comment on it, Ludt said.
Utley’s first incident that night occurred at 6:45 p.m. on East Market Street in Howland with a hit-and-run accident, the Ohio State Highway Patrol said. The Vienna officer picked up the chase in Vienna after the Howland incident.
Utley was injured in the Vienna incident but was not hit by the gunfire, the Ohio State Highway Patrol and Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation said.
Jill Del Greco, public information officer for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, said BCI, which is part of the Ohio AG’s office, will look only into matters related to the shot the officer fired and Utley’s actions in Vienna.
The officer and Utley were taken to the hospital for treatment, Del Greco said. Ludt said the officer who fired his gun is off work with bruised ribs. Ludt said his department is handling the crash that occurred in Vienna.
That crash involved Utley driving into a ditch at Centennial Drive and Warren Sharon Road east of Mathews High School, Ludt said.
When BCI completes its investigation, it will turn over the information to the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s office for its determination on whether any charges should be filed against the officer or Utley, Del Greco said.
Meanwhile, another Vienna Township police officer filed the felony assault charge in Girard Municipal Court Monday against Utley. No court date has been set for Utley’s arraignment.
Sgt. Phil Robinson of the Southington Post of the highway patrol said Utley is charged with drunken driving, improper lane change, hit-skip and driving under an OVI suspension in relation to the East Market Street crash prior to the gunfire and crash in Vienna.
Robinson said Utley was traveling near Howland High School when he attempted to change lanes and struck a car beside him in another lane and left the scene.
Neither Utley nor the other driver was injured in that crash, Robinson said.
Utley is also charged with failure to control, driving left of center, reckless operation, failure to drive in marked lanes and a registration violation. Those charges are listed as having been filed by the Vienna Police Department.