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- A man was arrested in Beaver County and charged Monday with brutally assaulting a woman.
- Jason Walsh, 39, allegedly fractured the woman's skull and led police on a high-speed chase.
- Deputies used a Taser to apprehend Walsh after he abandoned the vehicle.
MILFORD, Beaver County — A man was arrested in Beaver County over the weekend after police say he fractured a woman's skull in two places and led deputies on a dangerous high-speed chase.
Jason Joseph Walsh, 39, was booked into the Beaver County Jail early Sunday and charged on Monday in 5th District Court with aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, a second-degree felony; failing to stop for police, a third-degree felony; unauthorized control of someone else's vehicle, reckless endangerment and failing to stop for police, class A misdemeanors; and impaired driving, making threat of violence and reckless driving, class B misdemeanors
Sheriff's deputies were originally called to 400 North and 100 West in Milford where a woman had been assaulted.
"I observed a small amount of blood on the female's mouth. I observed spots of blood on her jacket. I noticed blood on her hands," the arresting deputy wrote in a police booking affidavit. "The female described getting dragged on the ground. Jason grabbed the female by the hair and slammed her head against the concrete."
After the woman was taken to a local hospital, it was determined she "sustained two fractures to her skull," the affidavit states.
Walsh was still at the scene when a deputy arrived.
The woman told police that Walsh was intoxicated. While the deputy was attending to the woman, Walsh got back in the woman's car and drove directly at the deputy's vehicle, the affidavit alleges.
"Jason traveled directly toward me at a high rate of speed. The suspect was in the vehicle driving toward the passenger side of my vehicle. The suspect swerved to the right and impacted with the curb within feet of my vehicle," the affidavit says.
Walsh then allegedly "began asking (the deputy) to chase him." The deputy instead stayed with the woman and called for backup from both sheriff's deputies and Utah Highway Patrol troopers.
Deputies said Walsh left the scene and was driving erratically with no headlights. At one point, Walsh was traveling 100 mph on a 25 mph road, the affidavit states. Deputies deployed tire spikes and then "backed way off the pursuit" while troopers stopped chasing.
Another deputy later spotted Walsh running from the car and deployed a Taser to take him into custody.
Correction: Walsh is not a member of the Beaver County search and rescue team. An earlier version incorrectly stated he was.
Domestic violence resources
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Utah Survivor Services: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
