SANDY — A Sandy man has pleaded guilty to assaulting a runner after a road rage confrontation.
William Kyle Hackett, 54, was charged last December in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and property damage, a class A misdemeanor. On Nov. 7, he pleaded guilty as part of a plea in abeyance to a reduced charge of assault, a class A misdemeanor. In exchange, the property damage charge was dropped.
As part of his plea, Hackett will be placed on court probation for the next 18 months while he has to complete an anger management course and community service. If Hackett successfully completes all of the abeyance requirements, the assault charge will be dropped.
Hackett was arrested in December 2024 after he got into a fight with a runner. The man had been running on 1300 East near 10300 South when he attempted to cross an intersection.
Hackett "did not stop at a stop sign and almost hit (the man)," so in response, the man hit Hackett's side view mirror. Hackett then exited his vehicle holding a baton, walked toward the man who tried to back up, and Hackett struck the man in the head with the baton, according to charging documents.
The runner suffered several injuries to his head from the baton strike and a large cut to his hand while trying to block another strike, police said. Officers noted the runner "had blood running down his back and on his head, along with inside his right ear."
Hackett also broke the man's phone by hitting it with a baton, and the man kicked Hackett back during the fight. Hackett went back to his car and left the area but later returned and was taken into custody.
