By Travis Uresk
2/17/24
2/14/24
Vernal, Ut.- Vernal City Police responded to an unknown 911 call at 1350 West 150 North. When Officer Murray arrived, he was met by 33-year-old Odell Shine Black.
Odell said that her husband had just assaulted her and left the residence. She was asked to explain what she meant by “assaulted,” and she stated her husband had hit her in the face while they were moving a TV stand, and she couldn’t say if it was intentional or not.
When Odell told her story to the other officers, this time, she said one thing led to another and that the TV stand hit her in the face while moving furniture. Then, "hands went flying," so she can't say her husband didn't hit her.
Officer Murray then spoke with Odell's husband, who said he came home around 6:00 pm, and Odell had already started picking fights with her family. He stated that Odell had been fighting with everyone in the house, and it was his turn by the end of the night. The husband said she had torn up items around the house.
It started with him knocking on Odell's door, setting her off. She had kneed him in the body multiple times, as well as trying to strangle him. He said he gathered some of his things together and made an attempt to leave the house, but Odell was blocking the exit with her body.
He stated he had no intentions of fighting with Odell. He just wanted to leave. He said that he had to wrestle Odell off of him, and he ran out the front door. He had already arranged for his boss to pick him up. When he arrived, the husband got in with his boss and left.
Officer Murray went inside the apartment to speak with the witnesses, who said Odell came home and started fighting with her family. One of them told her she needed to calm down, and Odell went into her room and kept asking the teenager to hit her, but she refused, and Odell stormed off.
The witness stated that when Odell's husband got home and was walking up the stairs, she could hear Odell yelling and them arguing, then saw Odell come out into the hallway and kick over the dresser.
The husband went into the witness room to let her know he was leaving when Odell came in and began hitting her husband. He then made his way down the stairs, and the witness heard a loud commotion in the living room but was unsure what had happened.
A juvenile in the home stated that she saw the two wrestling on the floor downstairs before Odell's husband got up and left.
Odell Black was booked into the Uintah County Jail for assault, domestic violence in the presence of a child, and one charge of intoxication.
