By Travis Uresk
2/9/24
Vernal, Ut.- At 2:30 pm on 2/6/24, Officer McCurdy was called to a welfare check in the 250 North 500 West area. Call notes indicated that a white male in his 30s or 40s, with a slender build, long hair, and facial hair, was running out of the residence with blood on his head.
Law enforcement arrived at the residence, and when approaching, it was noticed that the front door was partially opened with dried blood on the outside of the door. Pieces of the door were also observed lying on the porch and surrounding area.
When the police knocked on the partially opened door, a male known as 34-year-old Tyler Cameron James Shurtleff said, "No, you may not enter," and slammed the door.
Tyler returned, answered the door, and acknowledged that his husband and he got into a fight. Tyler stated his husband pulled out a Katana and was acting out of control. Tyler attempted to remove the Katana, and the victim got cut from the Katana. Tyler was seen with dried blood on his chest and arms.
The victim ran out of the residence, where Officer McCurdy spoke with him on the front lawn. The husband was seen crying and emotional, with abrasions on his arms, torso, back, a black eye, and holding a blood-soaked towel against the left side of his head.
Officer McCurdy saw an approximately three-inch wide cut across the victim's ear and on his head. He denied ever being hit or struck with the Katana by Tyler. The victim stated he didn't want to fight with Tyler due to already fighting all the time.
The victim said he picked up the Katana without realizing what he was doing and went to put it down. The victim then somehow got hit with the Katana, which caused the cut. While Officer McCurdy spoke with the victim, another officer had to tell Tyler to calm down due to his high-level demeanor.
The victim said he was pushed by Tyler while trying to hug him. Then, the two ended up in the kitchen while the victim was cleaning up the blood.
The victim locked Tyler out and told him he was going to call the police, and then Tyler kicked down the door, dragging the victim outside, causing the abrasions on his back and foot.
Officer McCurdy then went to speak with Tyler inside the residence, and he stated that the victim wanted to keep talking, but he didn't want to. Tyler stated during the altercation he was worried about his husband hurting himself. Tyler said he and his husband struggled over the Katana when the victim was cut on the side of his head. Tyler said at one point, he found his husband in the backyard crying for help.
Tyler got dressed and was worried about the victim calling the police, and at one point, Tyler wanted the victim to clean all the blood up inside the residence. Tyler admitted to putting the victim in a chokehold when he said the victim hit him. Tyler stated that the victim had struck him on the right side of his face, but there were no visual marks or bruising on Tyler, indicating being hit by something.
When Tyler was asked to elaborate further about dragging the victim out of the residence, he didn’t want to talk anymore.
Tyler was then placed under arrest and transported to the Uintah County Jail.
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