A Uintah County man arrested for chasing down and assaulting a pregnant woman

By Travis Uresk

11/16/24

| Maeser, Ut. | November 13th, 2024 |

At approximately 5:10 am, Uintah County Deputies responded to an unknown 911 call. Dispatch heard the sound of a woman screaming and then silence while the phone was still connected.

While deputies were responding to the address, dispatch updated the incident, saying the female called back and confirmed she needed emergency services, but then the phone disconnected.

Deputy Roth was informed by dispatch that a third party had called in, stating that 30-year-old Sean Micheal Whitney and the victim had been fighting, and it was said that they were heading toward Dry Fork Canyon in a blue passenger car.

Deputy Roth quickly left the residence and drove toward Dry Fork when he observed the tail lights on a blue passenger car turn off the side of the road near 2392 North 3500 West.

The deputy pulled in behind the car, activated his emergency lights, and approached the vehicle. In the car were a male driver and a female passenger. The driver was identified as Sean, and the female was identified as the victim. The deputy could see the victim was actively crying, and her entire body was shaking.

Sean was instructed to exit the car to speak with the deputy, informing him that the police had reports of a possible domestic incident involving a vehicle matching the one he was driving.

Deputy Roth asked Sean to explain what was going on and why the female was crying and shaking. Sean stated that he was invoking his 5th Amendment Rights and was refusing to provide the deputy with any information.

The deputy explained to Sean that he was now being detained while he spoke with the female. While placing Sean into handcuffs, he began yelling at the female, telling her that she didn't need to tell the police anything and to plead the 5th Amendment multiple times. When instructed to stop yelling, he stated he had the right to free speech. Sean was secured in the patrol vehicle so Deputy Roth could safely speak with the victim.

While the deputy was talking to the victim, he noticed she had dried blood on her lower lip and on the corner of her mouth and a wiped blood mark on her left hand.

When the deputy asked about the blood and if she had any other injuries, the victim stated that she didn't want to say anything because she didn't want Sean to go to prison and that he was going through a hard time and had anger issues.

The victim requested that medical services see her before speaking because she was eight and a half months pregnant, and she was concerned for her unborn child.

Uintah County Deputies Ogle and Sgt. Hill arrived and helped get the victim into the ambulance for transport to the hospital.

Sean's probation officer was called and told about the incident, and the agent stated to transport Sean to the Uintah County Jail for a 72-hour hold. Deputy Roth also learned that Sean is on parole on felony sexual abuse and felony aggravated kidnapping charges and has a history of domestic violence.

Sergeant Hill followed the victim to the hospital, where he spoke with her there, and Deputy Roth transported Sean to the jail, where he and other jail staff saw an open wound on his right pinky knuckle that he claimed he got from dry skin.

Sgt. Hill learned from the victim that she and Sean had gotten into a verbal argument around 3:00 am at their home. During this, Sean held the victim down on the bed while sitting on top of her, preventing her from escaping. The victim attempted to hit and push Sean away from her until he eventually got off of her and walked into the other room.

The victim used this opportunity to run out of the home in a pair of socks, thermal pants, a long-sleeve shirt, and no shoes. She told Sgt. Hill that she ran down the road and hid, where she remained in the below-freezing temperature for over an hour until Sean called her, saying he had left the home.

The victim began working her way home, intending to grab her stuff and leave to find a hotel. She described seeing Sean in their vehicle coming down the road at a high rate of speed towards her. The victim ran in the opposite direction and opened her phone to call 911. Sean stopped the car and chased after her.

The victim stated as dispatch answered the call, Sean grabbed her by the back of her head by her hair and pulled her backward, causing her to scream and fall to the ground, hitting her back and side. Sean then forced her into the vehicle, where he hit her in the face before returning to the victim's phone and disconnecting the call with dispatch.

Deputy Roth returned to the jail, read Sean his Miranda Rights, and agreed to speak.

When asked to tell the deputy about the events of the night, Sean stated that he refused to tell him anything without his attorney invoking his Miranda Rights.

Deputy Roth then booked Sean in on charges of one count: Assault Against a Pregnant Person as a Class A Misdemeanor, Unlawful Detention as a Class B Misdemeanor and Interruption of a Communication Device as a Class B Misdemeanor in addition to the 72-hour hold placed by Adult Probation and Parole. After speaking with Sean's parole agent, he will be seeking a Board of Pardons Warrant for Sean due to his continued history of domestic violence, and this incident occurred while Sean was on parole on felony charges.

Deputy Roth is requesting a No Bail to be issued on the new charges due to Sean presenting a significant danger to the victim and unborn child, and the charges are classified as domestic violence.

All the articles from 1nationjustice.com are from the affidavits of probable cause reports that the officers write. If you would like, you can get a copy of the report from the website below. It does cost money to get on the site and to open every document you want to read.

https://pubapps.utcourts.gov/XchangeWEB/XchangeWebServlet