Utah

Former police lawyer pleads guilty to reduced drug-lab charges; prosecutors won’t recommend prison

A former Salt Lake City lawyer and his two sons pleaded guilty on Friday to reduced charges stemming from an alleged drug lab at their home that was used to make a marijuana byproduct. James Wesley Robinson, 51, pleaded guilty to operating a clandestine lab and drug possession, both second-degree…

Dec 12, 2014 10:30 AM CST

Atheist gets driver’s license photo with pasta colander on head, citing ‘Spaghetti Monster’ faith

A Utah woman persuaded state officials to let her get her driver’s license photo taken with a metal pasta strainer upside-down on her head by citing her “Pastafarian” religious beliefs. Asia Lemmon, who is also known as Jessica Steinhauser (the name on her license), provided documents showing her affiliation with…

Nov 18, 2014 12:45 PM CST

Wind farm sues feds to stop release of bird-death data to Associated Press

Flying eagles looking for prey are much like texting drivers behind the wheel. They don’t notice wind farm turbines in their flight path until it’s too late. However, such birds are under federal protection, and the Associated Press has been asking why wind farms, unlike oil and power companies, haven’t…

Nov 17, 2014 1:00 PM CST

Bats invaded courthouse as Halloween loomed

When Zac Weiland walked into court on Friday, the assistant Utah prosecutor heard scratching sounds: Bats were in the ceiling, walls and stairwells of the Washington County Justice Center, and Weiland even saw one struggling to get out of a light fixture. “I don’t like bats,” he told KSL. “I…

Nov 3, 2014 6:55 AM CST

Two former Utah attorneys general charged in bribery case seek separate trials

Named as defendants in a bribery case earlier this year, two men who both served as attorney general for the state of Utah have asked a judge to separate their prosecutions. Former Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, and the fellow Republican he helped select as his successor, John Swallow, say…

Oct 20, 2014 1:30 PM CDT

Do Wal-Mart workers have right to self-defense at work? Utah high court considers at-will exception

The Utah Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in a case that contends Wal-Mart workers have a right to self-defense at work that trumps the company’s right to fire them. The plaintiffs are six Wal-Mart workers who were fired for violating policy barring confrontations with armed customers. The policy…

Sep 4, 2014 8:09 AM CDT

Driver takes misdemeanor plea after striking and killing judge on bicycle; should law be upgraded?

A distracted driver who veered onto the shoulder of a Utah roadway last year, striking and killing a bicycling district court judge, quietly took a misdemeanor reckless driving plea in May and is well into a six-month probation sentence. Because there was no sign that David E. Bertelson, now 79,…

Aug 20, 2014 9:50 PM CDT

When is graffiti art? Man is accused of defacing work of famous street artist

A criminal prosecution in Park City, Utah, raises the question of what differentiates art from graffiti. David William Noll of California has been charged with criminal mischief based on allegations he defaced two works by famous street artist Banksy, report the Associated Press and the Wall Street Journal Law Blog.…

Aug 20, 2014 1:19 PM CDT

Same-sex marriages in Utah don’t have to be recognized pending appeal because of SCOTUS stay

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a stay on Friday that allows the state of Utah to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages while the state appeals a federal appeals court ruling striking down the state’s ban on such marriages. The order applies to so-called “interim marriages” entered into after a federal…

Jul 21, 2014 1:26 PM CDT

Two former Utah attorneys general are charged in bribery case

Two men who each formerly served as Utah’s top law enforcement official were arrested Tuesday and charged with bribery. Former Utah attorney general Mark Shurtleff, 56, and the Republican he helped select as his successor, John Swallow, 51, were charged with multiple felonies before being released, according to the Salt…

Jul 15, 2014 9:30 PM CDT

Marshal who shot and killed defendant in federal court during trial won’t be prosecuted, DOJ says

An unidentified marshal who shot and killed a 25-year-old defendant as he charged the witness stand with a pen in his hand during a federal racketeering trial in Salt Lake City won’t himself face any criminal charge. The FBI announced Monday that an investigation showed the marshal had fired four…

Jul 15, 2014 8:10 PM CDT

10th Circuit rules Utah gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional

A divided federal appeals court panel in Denver on Wednesday upheld a decision by a federal judge in Utah that a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. “Courts do not sit in judgment of the hearts and minds of the citizenry,” said the Denver-based 10th…

Jun 25, 2014 5:45 PM CDT

Utah lawyer asks to broadcast divorce court proceedings, but the answer appears to be no

A Salt Lake City lawyer hopes to broadcast divorce court proceedings on his YouTube channel, but he has had little luck persuading judges to agree. Lawyer Eric Johnson came up with the idea after Utah opened its courts to electronic media coverage last year, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. The…

Jun 17, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Bill to allow firing-squad executions is being drafted in state with just one death-row inmate

A legislative committee in Wyoming is drafting a bill to allow firing-squad executions, though the state has only one death-row inmate. Committee staffers are beginning work on the bill after the director of the state’s Department of Corrections suggested the state needs an alternative to execution drugs, which are increasingly…

May 22, 2014 11:56 AM CDT

Utah mom charged with first-degree murder in deaths of 6 newborns

A Utah mother was formally charged Monday with first-degree murder in the deaths of six newborn babies whose bodies, police said, were recently found inside a garage. Megan Huntsman, 39, was not charged in the death of a seventh infant whose body also was found, because authorities believe it was…

Apr 28, 2014 6:55 PM CDT