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Oakely man tased after biting Summit County deputies, prosecutors say

Stewart William Sargent, 51, of Oakley, allegedly bit a deputy and headbutted another while they were trying to take him into custody last week. Deputies eventually deployed a Taser to subdue him.
Courtesy of the Summit County Sheriff’s Office

A Taser was deployed on an Oakley man last week after he allegedly bit a Summit County deputy while being taken into custody, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Stewart William Sargent, 51, of Oakley, was charged in Summit County’s 3rd District Court on April 12 with two counts of assault by a prisoner, a third-degree felony; interference with an arresting officer, a class B misdemeanor; disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor; and intoxication, a class C misdemeanor.

Deputies were initially responding to a report of a domestic violence situation at a home in Oakley when the incident occurred, a Sheriff’s Office report states. A woman contacted dispatch alleging that Sargent was under the influence of drugs and “out of control,” according to a probable cause statement.



When deputies arrived and attempted to take Sargent into custody, he resisted, the statement states. But, deputies were able to hold Sargent on the ground until a Park City Police Department officer arrived to help place him in handcuffs.

One of the deputies sustained a sprained ankle during the struggle. The deputy was taken to an area hospital in an ambulance and was placed on light duty, said Lt. Andrew Wright, of the Sheriff’s Office.



Deputies carried Sargent out of the house after he continued to resist, according to the probable cause statement. As they were trying to put him into a patrol vehicle, he allegedly headbutted one of the deputies and bit the finger of another. Officers deployed a Taser to subdue the man, the report states.

“It required several deputies because he was so out of control,” Wright said. “Two other deputies had to go to the hospital for significant exposure to have their blood drawn so we can provide the proper treatment if they were exposed to anything.”

It is at least the third time deputies have deployed a Taser on a suspect while placing them under arrest since November. In January, a Park City man was tased three times after officers alleged he threatened his roommate with a mallet and resisted arrest. A West Valley City man was tased in November after he attacked several people in Kimball Junction, including a deputy.

The Sheriff’s Office completed reviews of both the November and January incidents and determined the deputies used reasonable force to gain compliance during both arrests. Wright said the incident with Sargent will be reviewed to determine whether appropriate force was used.

“Even though the deputies were injured, that doesn’t mean we don’t have the same protocol and review into their actions,” Wright said. “Here we have someone who assaulted our deputies and they had to use a Taser to subdue him to get him to comply. But, we will still do a review and make sure that they followed protocol and policy.”

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