By Travis Uresk
8/13/23
Vernal, Ut.- 8/5/23, Uintah County Deputies were dispatched to the Gateway Bar at 733 East US-40 of a 911 unknown issue. The report was that the bartender was told to call 911 and gave no information, only that they needed an ambulance, and then disconnected.
Deputy Russell arrived on scene and noticed a female near the front door holding a rag over her left eye, and there was a substantial amount of blood on her face and chest. The victim removed the rag from her eye, and Russell saw two large lacerations above her left eye.
Deputy Russell asked the female what had happened, and she stated that she had been in a fight with another female. She began telling the Deputies she was hit in the head with a beer bottle during the fight. Deputy Russell then spoke with the bar manager and gathered video footage of the incident.
While the Deputies interviewed witnesses, they were given two names of the involved individuals. The wounded female was taken to the hospital by ambulance and received 13 stitches above her left eye and nose. Deputy Russell went to the hospital to speak with the female to ask her more questions.
The female told Russell that she had seen two females that she had been having issues with in the past. She stated that she had confronted them about the issue and wanted to discuss it. The female stated she approached the females, and they got hostile and told her to leave. The female said she didn't want to leave, and the confrontation started.
The female said that she started fighting with 22-year-old Emmarie Ann Reyes, and then she felt being hit in the head with something. The female stated that after she was hit, she couldn't see because of all the blood running down her face.
After reviewing the video footage, Deputy Russell could see the fight and a verbal altercation between the female and Emmarie. In the video, after the verbal altercation, it can be seen that Emmarie hit the female in the face with something in her right hand.
You can hear what sounds like glass being broken, then the female and Emmarie begin fighting until they both fall to the ground. At one point, while the two females are on the ground, witnesses step in and begin to break the two females apart.
A few hours later, Deputy Russell was dispatched to the UBH in Roosevelt, where the complainant and Emmarie were getting stitches in Emmarie's hand.
When the Deputy arrived, he made contact with the two females and began asking Emmarie about the altercation, and she said that there was a girl she knew that approached her being hostile and rude. Emmarie stated she had told the female to leave them alone, and she wouldn't leave.
Emmarie stated she began counting down from 10, and they both started hitting each other. Emmarie couldn't recall who hit who first because it happened so fast. Deputy Russell informed Emmarie that the video footage showed she had hit the female first. He also asked if she remembered hitting the female with a beer bottle. Emmarie said it was not a beer bottle. It was a glass cup.
The Deputy explained the rest of the video to Emmarie, and she agreed to what he was telling her. Because Emmarie hit the female in the face with a glass cup and caused bodily injury, she was going to be taken into custody, and she also had a warrant from Vernal City.
Once Emmarie was medically cleared and her hand was wrapped, she was taken into custody and transported to the Uintah County Jail, where she was booked on aggravated assault and a warrant.
