By Travis Uresk
8/10/23
Naples, Ut.-8/3/23, at around 7:42 am, Chief Simper was dispatched to a domestic in progress at the Sure Stay Hotel at 1935 South 1500 East. The complainant reported to dispatch at around 7:40 am. They could hear a male and female fighting in one of the rooms.
A female was reported as being knocked around and crying saying, "Sorry." It was reported as arguing for the last 10 minutes. Chief Simper arrived at 7:45 am, followed by Vernal City Officer Young and UHP Trooper Searle.
The room was confirmed at the front desk and was registered to the victim. Chief Simper went to the second floor and approached the room and could hear muffled voices at first. He knocked on the door, and a female voice began to scream.
Chief Simper knocked louder, saying he was a police officer, and ordered them to open the door. The screaming continued with no physical response at the door. The Chief believed exigent circumstances existed to make entry into the room.
Chief Simper attempted to kick the door open multiple times with no success. He had one of the officers go to the front desk and retrieve a key for the room. Simper continued to give orders and attempt to force entry. The key arrived, and the door was opened. The latch stopped the door. Simper kicked the door again, and the door swung open, and the Officers drew their service pistols.
Immediately to Simper's left was a male sitting on the toilet, bleeding from his arms. The Chief saw a knife on the floor outside the bathroom and no weapons in the male's hands. Simper moved passed and saw a female cowering on the floor on the opposing side of the room. No further threats were found, and their duty pistols were holstered.
The other Officers began administering first aid to the male subject, and an ambulance was called for the male. While waiting for the EMTs, tourniquets were applied to both arms.
The female stated she wasn't bleeding or needed an ambulance.
The male was transported to the hospital with multiple lacerations on both arms, which were believed to be self-inflicted. There were pants on the bathroom floor with a Utah driver's license identifying the male as 31-year-old Tucker Justin Peck.
Chief Simper had the female victim stand up and saw no bleeding from her person and no blood on her clothing either. There were scratches on both sides of her chest, the left side of her face was red and swollen, and she had difficulty speaking and appeared to be in shock over what had just occurred.
EMS checked the victim briefly, and she refused further care.
Chief Simper saw blood on the bed, the floor, the walls, and in the bathroom. It appeared that Tucker began cutting himself by the bed and moved to the bathroom. A crime scene investigator and a Vernal City Detective were called to the scene.
Chief Simper stated in the affidavit, "Due to the state of this room, and the victim's condition, I identified her belongings and assisted her in moving to the hotel's parking lot."
The Detectives and the crime scene investigator arrived, and Simper spoke with the victim. She was struggling to speak with Simper. The victim would circle in her statements to the disbelief of what had just occurred.
The victim stated they had been staying at the hotel for two nights. She lives nearby and wants to go home. She made coffee around 4:00 am this morning, and Tucker and she started arguing about staying at the hotel, and she wanted to go home. This argument went on for some time.
The victim stated she was leaving because Tucker was getting more aggressive. He pushed her onto the bed, refusing to let her leave. The victim attempted to leave again, and Tucker hit her face multiple times with a closed fist.
The victim remembers falling to the floor and hitting her head, and Tucker stood above, straddling her. The victim was screaming, and Tucker told her to be quiet, or he would kill her and himself, or they would both go to jail. The victim stated Tucker placed his hands around her throat until she couldn't breathe. She resisted and kept trying to get away, but Tucker continued to try and quiet the victim as he placed a hand over her face and nose to keep her from speaking and breathing.
When asked how long this lasted, the victim said, “Too long.”
The victim was able to wiggle out of Tucker's grasp eventually, but she was unsure if this was because of her effort or police knocking on the door, and that's when Tucker got off of her.
She stated Tucker grabbed a knife and began cutting his arms. The victim was petrified that he would kill her if she went to the door. The victim stayed on the floor and moved away from Tucker until the police entered the room. She mentioned Tucker has mental health issues and is not taking his medication. Photographs of the victim's injuries were taken, and Chief Simper gave the victim a ride home and then returned to the hotel.
A glass pipe with meth was found in the trash can inside the bathroom where Tucker was originally found. Multiple syringes were also found. The knife was also taken into evidence.
Crime investigator Kay maintained possession of these items until she booked them into evidence at the Naples Police Department. Witness statements were gathered from the front desk employee and neighboring tenants.
It was advised to the Officers Tucker became combative during the ambulance ride to the hospital. He didn't assault Officers or medical staff but resisted efforts to transport, evaluate, and treat him. Tucker had to be restrained to the hospital bed with handcuffs and keg shackles.
During the interview, Tucker asked for a lawyer, and no questions were asked. He stated, "He didn't really hit the victim and that the victim had actually threatened him with the knife."
A criminal history was run on Tucker Peck. Numerous violent felonies, prior domestic violence, and a prior conviction of possession of a controlled substance were observed. Dispatch advised five statewide warrants were listed under his name. All warrants are out of Fourth District Court, and three were no bail warrants. The hospital medically cleared Tucker.
Chief Simper secured Tucker in handcuffs to the front due to his injuries. Officer Elmer assisted with transporting him to the Uintah County Jail, where he was booked on the listed charges and warrants. A No Contact Order or Jail Release Agreement was completed as the incident involved domestic violence.
Simper cleared the jail and followed up at the victim's residence. She was not present, but her mother and brother were. They advised she was on a walk. They advised that Tucker had made numerous Facebook posts threatening to harm himself and others.
They also advised they suspected Tucker had been using drugs as they had located used syringes in the home. They reported Tucker had mental health issues and was not taking his medication. They reported Tucker had damaged multiple items in the basement room. Chief Simper requested a witness statement from them. When the completed statements and Facebook posts are received, a follow-up investigation will be completed and documented. Both parties stated they feared Tucker if he were released from jail and what he would do to the victim.
