This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man was hospitalized with minor injuries Wednesday after taking a bullet from an officer in Sanpete County.
Sanpete County dispatchers got a call about a stolen vehicle about 3 a.m. Wednesday, said county attorney Brody Keisel. About four hours later, Sanpete County sheriff's officers came upon the vehicle with the driver, David Searle, still inside, Keisel said.
The vehicle was on a county dirt road about two miles east of Spring City, a small community between Mount Pleasant and Ephraim, added Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Thayne Carlisle. Searle, 43, lives in Spring City.
The sheriff's officers called the UHP and Ephraim police for backup and to set up a perimeter. But when the officers tried to apprehend Searle, at some point a trooper shot him, Carlisle said.
Keisel confirmed that Searle had been hit in the arm, but could not speak to how many shots were fired or why the trooper shot Searle.
Searle was taken to the hospital with minor injuries from the gunshot, Carlisle said, and he also had other injuries not related to the shooting. As of Wednesday afternoon, Carlisle had not heard an update on his condition.
The trooper who fired his weapon has been put on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
The Sanpete County Sheriff's Office, under the direction of the county attorney, is leading the investigation. The Utah Attorney General's Office and UHP internal affairs are also part of the investigation.
No one else was hurt, including the officers, Carlisle said.
Searle was charged a month ago in 6th District Judicial Court in Manti with drug possession, for allegedly having methamphetamine on Aug. 15, and disorderly conduct. He has a scheduling hearing set for Nov. 13.
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