A Utah police officer has been identified after he was killed early Sunday when the driver of a semi-truck allegedly fled a traffic stop and struck the officer on a highway.
Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser, 50, was remembered as a “top-notch officer” and a hero as colleagues and family spoke during an emotional press conference on Monday.
“Just on a personal note, I know everybody says this when an officer gets killed,” said Santaquin Police Chief Rod Hurst, “but Sgt. Hooser was one of those guys that was really squared away.”
Hooser is survived by his wife of 29 years, two daughters and one granddaughter.
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Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser is survived by his wife of 29 years, two daughters and a granddaughter. Hooser began his career in law enforcement eight years ago, and was promoted to sergeant earlier this year. (Santaquin Police Department / Help A Hero)
Hooser’s brother Michael said the family was devastated and thanked the community for showing love and support.
“Nothing could ever make up for the loss we feel,” Michael said. “We take comfort in knowing Bill died a hero, doing the job he loved, serving people he loved.”
Michael said his brother began his career in law enforcement later in life, starting out as an unpaid volunteer. Hurst said Hooser first joined the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office in New Mexico eight years ago before returning to his native Utah and joining the Santaquin Police Department.
Michael Aaron Jayne, 41, was arrested in connection to the fatal traffic stop after authorities say he led officers on a short pursuit in a stolen pickup truck near Vernal, Utah. (Utah Department of Public Safety)
Hooser was killed Sunday while helping a Utah Highway Patrol trooper conduct a traffic stop on a big rig along Interstate 15 after receiving a 911 call reporting an individual on top of the back of a semi-trailer.
The truck driver fled the traffic stop, pulling an abrupt U-turn and intentionally striking Hooser, Hooser’s vehicle and a UHP patrol vehicle, Spanish Fork Police Lt. Cory Slaymaker said. Hooser died at the scene.
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Police identified the truck driver as 41-year-old Michael Aaron Jayne.
Slaymaker said Jayne fled on foot to a nearby convenience store, where he stole another semi-truck. The truck was recovered in Mona, Utah, where the suspect was believed to have stolen a Ford pickup truck. Jayne allegedly drove the stolen pickup to Mt. Pleasant, where he ditched the vehicle and stole another Ford F150 pickup truck.
Jayne crashed a stolen pickup truck, pictured above, before his arrest, police said. Jayne allegedly stole multiple vehicles after authorities say he struck and killed a police officer with a semi-truck during a traffic stop early Sunday. (FOX13 Salt Lake City KSTU)
Jayne was later found near Vernal, about 100 miles from where the fatal traffic stop occurred, driving the stolen pickup truck, police said. After a short chase, police said Jayne crashed the stolen pickup and was taken into custody.
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Police said the investigation remains ongoing.
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ANCHORAGE, AK (Alaska’s News Source) – A large winter storm is not only bringing heavy snowfall, but warmer temperatures are approaching! The most impacted areas will include Southcentral, Southeast, and Southwest Alaska, with close to a foot of snow accumulation likely through Tuesday afternoon.
Anchorage will receive a trace of snow overnight and into the early morning hours with about 1 to 3 inches of snow by early Monday afternoon. Close to 5 inches of snow will fall across the Kenai Peninsula and Copper River Basin by Monday afternoon before Tuesday morning brings closer to a foot of snow accumulation across the region. Anchorage and Mat-Su snow totals by Tuesday morning will likely reach 8 to 10 inches.
www.alaskasnewssource.com/weather/alerts/
Juneau will most likely get the heaviest rounds of snow from this storm system with close to a foot of snow likely to accumulate by Monday afternoon with even more snow Tuesday morning. Across Southeast, snow total will vary but Sitka and Ketchikan will receive near 3 to 7 inches. Brace for a few days of heavy snowfall with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour. Rapid snow accumulation will add hazard to roads and rooftops so be vigilant and weather aware.
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This storm is already making landfall from the Kuskokwim Delta to Bristol Bay. Expect 8 to 16 inches of snow by Monday night as the heaviest rounds will pass over late Monday morning. Wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour will add blizzard-like conditions with reduced visibility. The Aleutian Chain is bracing for high winds as the gusts up to 70 miles per hour are likely tomorrow. Light rain will pass through as a result of residual moisture of the tail-end of this storm.
The Interior will remain mostly dry tomorrow with mostly cloudy skies stretching over the Brooks Range and into the North Slope. Overnight lows are still quite chilly, sitting near 50 and 60 below zero. Coldest temperatures of the season were record Sunday morning at -50 degrees in Fairbanks, being the coldest temperature since February 2024 which was also -50 degrees. Light snow is possible Tuesday, but otherwise, very calm and quiet weather remains across central and northern Alaska.
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Authorities say a prominent California agriculture heir is accused of traveling to Arizona to kill his estranged wife amid a bitter divorce, a case now drawing national attention for its cross-state trail and high-profile ties.
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While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.
In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7.
Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8.
Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption.
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