Police arrive at a residence for a domestic incident. Husband tells his wife, “If I go to jail, I’m going to kill you guys.”

| by Travis Uresk | May 5^th, 2026 |

Ballard, Utah (5/4/26)—Two brothers were forced out of their home by their father, 37-year-old Emmette Cordell Cesspooch, during a domestic incident.

The brothers also reported they received a call from their mother, during which she was crying and sounded scared, leading them to believe she may be being held at gunpoint.

Deputy Roth with the UCSO requested assistance from RPD, and Officer Adams responded and arrived at the residence just before Deputy Roth.

Upon Deputy Roth's arrival, he was briefed on what Officer Adams had found out from the mother. While attempting to locate the father, Deputy Roth knocked on the door and noticed a security camera. A man's voice came through the camera saying, "Hello." The deputy identified himself and asked him to come to the door. The male said he was in the camper at lot 6, not lot 9.

The police returned to lot 6, made contact with Emmette Cesspooch, and asked him to come outside to speak with them. The deputy asked whether anyone else was inside the camper, and he stated that his wife was.

Deputy Roth explained the reason why they were there and asked Emmette to tell his side of the story. Emmette stated that Sundays are set aside for household tasks and that he had wanted the victim's help repairing one of their trucks. He stated that the victim had developed an attitude because he wanted to leave to see a girl. Emmette stated that the victim raised his hand up, at which point Emmette told the victim, "If you're going to hit me, then do it."

Emmette then told the deputy the victim tackled him, and they began hitting each other. Emmette acknowledged that after the altercation, he told the victim to leave the residence. He also said he had been driving around attempting to locate the victim and his brother, but had not found them.

He then showed Deputy Roth a video on his phone that depicted the victim entering the camper at lot 9 at around 11:30 am. Emmette confirmed that the altercation had occurred between 9:00 and 10:00 am.

Deputy Roth asked Emmette about the screwdriver, and he said he was not sure what had happened, and stated that that was where the argument started, but denied stabbing the victim with the screwdriver. He dismissed the victim's account as a lie and stated that the victim's brother would cover for him.

When the deputy asked Emmette about the victim's claim that he had grabbed a football helmet and struck the victim with it, Emmette confirmed that they had ended up on the bed and that he did grab the helmet, claiming it was to move it out of the way, while also admitting he was punching the victim because the victim was punching him.

Deputy Roth did not observe any visible injuries on Emmette during their conversation. Emmette also confirmed that, following the altercation, he had replaced the locks on both trailers, stating he had paid for them.

Police then spoke with the mother and also explained the reason why they were there, and had received information that a firearm had been pointed at her. She responded, "Not recently," and when asked if it had happened before, she said yes.

She stated she had been at work all day and had learned of the altercation between Emmette and the victim through Emmette. She disclosed that Emmette had directed her to call their sons and tell them to come home, but that she had already been in contact with them, and intentionally directed them to a safe location without Emmette's knowledge.

She then reported that when Officer Adams had initially made contact with her at the door, and after she had spoken with the officer, Emmette asked her whether law enforcement was there for him. She told him she did not know. She stated that Emmette looked out the window, observed the officers walking toward Lot 9, and stated, "If I go to jail, I'm going to kill you guys."

The mother stated she did not want Emmette to know she had provided a statement to police because she feared that Emmette's family would bail him out, and he would return and follow through on his threats. She confirmed that he had told the brothers to get out or he would kill them, and that Emmette had made prior statements that he would burn the trailer down with them inside. She also disclosed that she had previously recorded Emmette's threats from unreported incidents on an extra phone, but Emmette found the phone and destroyed it.

She told the police that, about five to six days before this incident, Emmette had cornered her near the kitchen sink, yelled at her, and slapped her across the face for the steam filling the camper while she was cooking. She stated that following this incident, she left for New Mexico for 4 days and returned on 05/02/2026.

Deputy Roth noticed bruising under her left eye at various stages of healing, with a yellow outer ring transitioning to a darker purple toward the center of the injury. When he asked the mother about the black eye, she confirmed it was the result of Emmette striking her approximately five to six days prior. When the deputy asked the mother about a text message she had sent to Emmette referencing a fight with "marble," she clarified that she had meant "Marvin," her brother, and that an altercation had occurred between her and her brother while she was in New Mexico, which had been reported and handled by local law enforcement in New Mexico.

She showed the police the pictures from that incident depicting injuries to her hands. Deputy Young informed Deputy Roth that the mother had shown him and Sgt. Leishman's photographs backed up to a cloud drive, dated the Monday before her trip to New Mexico, depicting injuries to her eye and lips consistent with the injury she described being inflicted by Emmette.

The mother also told police that, approximately two years ago, while they were living in the camper at Lot 9, Emmette had pointed a firearm at her head, then moved it and fired it next to her ear, causing hearing loss. She further stated that after firing the weapon, Emmette pressed the hot barrel of the firearm against her right eyelid, causing damage to her eye and tear duct.

The mother stated this incident had never been reported because Emmette had threatened to kill them if they ever told the truth. She stated that Emmette has a history of threatening not only her and her children, but also his own family and her family, and had made statements to her that she could obtain a restraining order, but "that doesn't stop a bullet." his mother confirmed that there was still a bullet hole in the camper at Lot 9 from the prior firearm incident.

After obtaining the keys from Emmette and with the victim's consent, Deputy Roth entered the camper at Lot 9, where the victim and his mother showed him the bullet hole, which was located under the mattress of the bed at the front of the trailer.

The victim stated that Emmette had asked him to help repair a truck after the victim had asked about plans for the day, as he wanted to spend time with friends. The victim stated that while working on the truck, Emmette became increasingly upset about the level of assistance the victim was providing. The victim stated that at one point, Emmette became so angry that he attempted to throw a wrench at the victim, missing him, and then stabbed him in the ribs with a screwdriver.

The victim pushed the screwdriver away, and Emmette said, "You want to act all tough now." The victim told Emmette no, and being stabbed hurt enough, and asked him not to do it again. Emmette then attempted to smack the victim, who dodged the strike. Emmette directed them inside the camper, where he began hitting the victim. The victim stated he stood and took the beating while Emmette repeatedly told him to put his hands up and fight back, which the victim refused to do.

Emmette then directed them back outside to continue working on the truck. During this second period outside, Emmette remained upset and directed them back inside the camper. The victim stated he walked directly toward the camper because he was scared of Emmette.

Emmette stated, "Since you're so eager to walk straight and faster than me, I'll beat the fuck out of you." The victim had sent his brother inside to get drinks, and when they entered the camper, Michael was standing at the sink. The victim stated that Emmette pushed him inside the camper, removed his glasses and other items, and told the victim to put his fists up, stating he was going to "beat the fuck out of you and kill you."

Emmette began throwing punches, and the victim, while dodging, admitted to tackling Emmette to the ground, where Emmette continued to strike him. The victim stated that at one point during the second altercation, Emmette pushed him onto the bed and climbed on top of him, pressing his weight down onto the victim to the point where the victim felt like he was choking and losing air, stating he felt close to blacking out. While the victim was on the bed, Emmette grabbed the victim's football helmet and began striking him with it. The victim stated he was able to grab Emmette's arms and pull them close to his body to prevent further strikes.

Emmette then leaned over and bit the victim on the back of his left shoulder. The altercation then disengaged, and Emmette complained about his back. Emmette told the victim and Michael that they were dead to him and stated, "If you guys ever come back to this house again or anything, I'll kill you," adding that he would call it trespassing and "shoot you right there." The victim stated that Emmette took their phones and that he and Michael left for a friend's house.

The victim arrived on scene, and Deputy Roth observed bruising to his forehead. He showed the deputy a bite mark on the back of his left shoulder, multiple bruises on his left arm, and fresh lacerations to the inside of both his upper and lower lips. He also observed a small, straight puncture mark on the victim's back near his left ribs, which the victim confirmed was the location where Emmette had stabbed him with the screwdriver.

Two Craftsman flathead screwdrivers of approximately the size consistent with the puncture mark observed on the victim's ribs were located inside Emmette’s truck.

Deputy Roth determined there was probable cause to arrest Emmette Cesspooch, and he was placed under arrest and transported to the Uintah County Jail. Sgt. Leishman and Deputy Young remained on scene, obtained photographs of the injuries to his mother and the victim, and coordinated with the victim's advocate. Sgt. Leishman also contacted Uintah County Detectives, who will be conducting further investigation into the additional allegations disclosed during this investigation.