SANTAQUIN, Utah, Dec. 10, 2025 (Gephardt Daily) — The widow of Santaquin Police Department’s Sgt. Bill Hooser has filed a lawsuit against Michael Jayne, accused of causing her husband’s death by pinning him between a semi and a patrol car on May 5 of last year.
Kinda Hooser has also named two businesses — Sierra Nevada Trucking, LLC, owned and operated by Jayne, and Valley Fine Foods, LLC, as plaintiffs.
She also listed John and Jane Does I-X, which refers to individuals who may be identified in the case, but have not been as of yet.
Jayne, of Garrett, Indiana, reportedly killed Hooser on purpose with the Sierra Nevada semi-truck he was driving, enroute to a delivery for Valley Fine Foods, LLC.
On the day of the fatal event, law enforcement in Utah and Juab counties was alerted just before 6 a.m. about a semi-truck and trailer headed north on Interstate 15 about 6 miles south of Juab.
Sheriff’s deputies from both counties responded along with Utah Highway Patrol troopers to intercept the semi, which then came to a stop.
When the semi stopped, Hooser parked directly behind the truck, and a UHP trooper parked behind and slightly to the right of Hooser’s patrol vehicle, the arrest affidavit says.
A woman who had been in the semi ran to Hooser and the trooper, who spoke with her. She told them that she had been held in the truck against her will.
The trooper ordered Jayne to exit the vehicle. Instead, Jayne locked the door, put the truck in gear and started to drive away, his arrest document says.
As Hooser, 50, and the trooper ran back to their vehicles, Jayne made a sharp U-turn in the northbound lanes and began to head south directly toward the officers and woman, according to court documents.
“Sgt. Hooser was in the door jamb of his patrol vehicle when he saw Jayne and the semi-truck careening towards him. As Sgt. Hooser moved away from the doorjamb, he began to run towards the rear of his vehicle. Jayne turned the truck directly towards Sgt. Hooser. Jayne accelerated the semi-truck until it struck Sgt. Hooser’s back,” according to court documents.
The semi’s grill and bumper pushed Hooser into the UHP patrol car, killing him, court documents say.
After hitting and killing Hooser, Jayne accelerated the semi in the direction of the trooper and woman, who “were able to narrowly escape being struck,” court documents say.
Jayne remains an inmate in the Utah County Correctional Facility, where he awaits his trial on 15 charges, including murder, a capital offense; two counts of attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony; and aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony.
Michael Aaron Jayne. Photo: Utah Department of Public Safety
Kinda Hooser’s lawsuit lists 11 causes of action, each listing one to three of the plaintiffs.
The causes of action are:
- Wrongful death, against all defendants
- Assault and battery, against Jayne and Sierra
- Negligence, against all defendants
- Negligent entrustment, against Valley Fine Foods
- Negligence Per Se
- Gross negligence
- Respondeat Superior against Sierra, Valley Foods and John and Jane Does
- Intentional infliction of emotional distress
- Negligent infliction of emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Negligent hiring/retention of independent contractor, Against Valley Fine Foods
The lawsuit, filed Nov. 24, 2025, seeks:
- General and special damages in amounts to be proven at trial
- Punitive damages
- Court costs
- Damages in excess of $300,00, and the demand for a trial by jury.
Gephardt Daily will have more information on this case as it develops.
Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser’s funeral procession. Photo: Gephardt Daily/ Monico Garza/ SLCScanner
