A Farm Creek Man Chases Woman With A Hatchet, Tells Her “Jesus can't save you now.”

Posted by Travis Uresk | Dec. 27th, 2022 | Domestic Violence |

By Travis Uresk

12/27/22

In the early morning, around 1:00 am on December 17th, 2022, Deputy Jones responded to a domestic violence call to the Farm Creek area of Uintah County. Dispatch advised the Deputy that a third-party caller said her aunt was being beaten by her uncle, 54-year-old Julian Elias Valdez.

Upon arrival at the residence, Deputy Jones could hear what he thought to be a female crying and talking inside the home.

Julian answered the door, and Deputy Jones saw a female crying.

Deputy Jones detained Julian for safety reasons and to separate both parties.

Julian said that he had the victim's phone and would give it back to her if she gave him the keys to the car. Deputy Jones place Julian in his patrol vehicle to separate the parties.

The Deputy spoke with the victim inside the home, who appeared very distraught, was crying, seemed to have difficulty catching her breath, and appeared very anxious.

Deputy Jones noticed a couple of red marks around the victim’s neck. She told Deputy Jones that Julian had choked her, demanding she hand over the keys to the vehicle.

During the interview, she said that Julian had come home and started arguing and fighting with her. The victim went to her bedroom when Julian got mad at her and told her to return to the living room. She stated that Julian slammed his phone down on the coffee table, breaking the phone.

The victim had to remove a black charging cord because Julian attempted to hit her with it. Julian also threw several ashtrays around the house and had a serrated knife in his hand, using it in a threatening manner toward the woman.

The victim attempted to leave, and Julian went outside and took the license plates off the vehicle telling the female, "she wasn't leaving and to get your ass back inside."

As she went inside the bathroom, she called her niece for help.

Julian entered the bathroom, choking her with one hand hard enough that she started to see tunnel vision and blackout. The woman stated she had to use both hands to release Julian’s grip on her throat.

Julian took her phone and asked if she had called the cops. She said during these events she was praying out loud and asking Julian to stop, and Julian responded several times with, "Jesus can't save you now."

The victim said that Julian told her he would come back and kill her if he went to jail.

Julian then sat on the couch by the front door, and as she tried to leave again, he slammed the door shut, telling her she couldn't leave. Julian then grabbed a hatchet and an orange-handled hammer and started to chase the victim around the front room, yelling at her to give him the car keys so he could leave.

Deputy Jones arrived at the residence around this time, and the victim said Julian stashed the hammer and hatchet on top of the cabinet next to the front door. The marks on the woman's neck appeared to be fresh and coincided with what appeared to be a one-hand grip around her throat.

Deputy Jones read Julian his Miranda rights and agreed to speak with him. Julian said the marks were hickies on her neck. Julian then stated he was trying to get the keys from her so he could leave.

Julian denied hurting the victim.

Deputy Jones arrested and booked Julian Valdez for 2nd-degree felony aggravated assault, obstructing the victim’s airway where she almost blacked out, and chasing her with a hammer and hatchet. Unlawful detention for keeping the victim from leaving the residence and attempting to take the keys from her while committing assault and threats, a third-degree felony. Interrupting a communication device was a class B misdemeanor when the victim called for help and Julian took it to question whether she called the police.

On 12/18/22, Sergeant Tony Jensen was working in the booking area of the Uintah County Jail when Deputy Jaydon Walker approached him about a phone call he had just received.

Deputy Walker informed Sergeant Jensen that the victim of the no-contact order told him that she had been receiving phone calls from Inmate Julian Elias Valdez and that there was a no-contact order between the two. After hearing this, Sergeant Jensen recalled a conversation with Inmate Valdez earlier in the shift reminding him of his no-contact order.

Sergeant Jensen again verified that the no contact had been signed by Inmate Valdez, stating that he understood the terms of the order. It was signed during his booking process.

Sergeant Jensen checked the jails phone recording system of all the calls that Inmate Valdez has made since he was booked into the Uintah County Jail and discovered that Inmate Valdez had attempted to contact the victim in his no-contact order 19 times after signing that he understood the terms of the order.

Because of this, Sergeant Jensen charged Inmate Valdez with 19 counts of a Protective Order Violation.