By Travis Uresk
10/14/23
Vernal, Ut.
10/11/23
At around 6:00 p.m., Officers responded to a domestic violence call that was not active. The alleged victim went to her friend's house in the Vernal City limits and reported this domestic incident about thirty minutes prior between her, her thirteen-year-old son, and her husband, 56-year-old Blake Larry Shelton.
Vernal police officers initially responded to the call. Deputy Jones responded to investigate the domestic violence incident. Deputy Jones met with the mother and her thirteen-year-old son at her work. The mother relaid the incident to the Deputy as follows: Blake had been texting her all day about personal affairs and verbally berating her. The female came home around 5:30 p.m. to find Blake had been drinking a whole bottle of vodka, which she found out he had purchased at the liquor store that day.
Blake appeared intoxicated already and started to yell at her. Blake was lying on the bed, kicking at her and pushing her away. Their thirteen-year-old son came into the room and attempted to tell them to stop fighting. Blake called his son several derogatory terms and other names and told him to get out, lunging at his son.
The thirteen-year-old threw his hands up in a fighting stance and asked Blake what he would do. Blake then wrestled his son down to the ground and choked his thirteen-year-old son with his hands around his throat as his son punched him in the face. Blake was wearing glasses then, and the punching scratched his nose and made it bleed. The mother was able to get Blake off, and she told her son to pack some belongings, and they were leaving. She left with her thirteen-year-old son.
The thirteen-year-old son had fresh red scratches around his neck and red marks near his jawline. The thirteen-year-old stated he couldn't breathe for a little while, trying to punch his Dad and get him off him. Under Miranda, Blake stated he had been drinking, that he felt disrespected by his son, and that he wrestled him down to the ground.
Blake denied pushing or kicking his wife and denied choking his son. Blake willingly blew into a portable breath test and blew positive for alcohol in his system. Based on the evidence and probable cause, Deputy Jones arrested and booked Blake Shelton into the Uintah County Jail for Felony 3, reckless endangerment of a child, Assault, domestic violence, class B misdemeanor, and intoxication, class C misdemeanor.
