LOGAN, Utah, April 29, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — About week after a hearing was cancelled, a pretrial conference date has been set for suspects accused of harassing and threatening a Hispanic family whose truck broke down in Blacksmith Fork Canyon last Memorial Day weekend, stranding them and their trailer in a spot that had been claimed by suspects.
The date of the incident was May 29, 2018. The upcoming June 25 pretrial conference date was set after the cancellation of a preliminary hearing that had been set for March 21.
The incident happened when Jose Caballero said he and his family were unable to move their trailer due to mechanical problems with the truck that they used to bring the trailer in.
In the video, Pack told the family he and the people with him would move the trailer, “But you’re going to pay us for it. How much money do you got?”
The family, from Tremonton, came up with $45, which Pack took. On the video, Marie Caballero, Jose’s wife, can be heard speaking in Spanish used calming tones to talk to the couple’s sons, then ages 8 and 15, at least one of whom later began crying.
Pack is charged on suspicion of:
- Riot, a third-degree felony
- Assault, a class A misdemeanor
- Theft by extortion, a class A misdemeanor
- Assault, a class B misdemeanor
- Threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor
- Threat/use of a dangerous weapon in a fight, a class C misdemeanor
The video has been viewed more than 337,000 times on its original YouTube page, and more times on news sites, with more than a thousand comments left that leap to the Caballero family’s defense.
Pack subsequently was fired from his Weber County job after county officials viewed the video.
Also facing a possible trial are four other campers who were with Pack. Their names and charges are:
- Cory B. Durney: Riot and aggravated assault, both third-degree felonies; and criminal mischief, damage to property with intent to defraud, a class A misdemeanor
- Rikki J. Durney: Riot, a third-degree felony
- Braxton Jade Haderlie: Riot, a third-degree felony; threat/use of a dangerous weapon in a fight, a class A misdemeanor
- Samara Lee Nielsen: Riot, a third-degree felony; threat/use of a dangerous weapon in a fight, a class A misdemeanor
All five defendants have pleaded not guilty to all charges. An additional camper, who was underage, was not charged.
The video can be viewed at the bottom of this page. Be aware that it still contains the graphic language. Pack can be heard cursing 17 times in the first 4:30 minutes of the video while the Caballero family remains even-toned and respectful.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this story as information becomes available.
