By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
Deputies recently arrested a 29-year-old man in Beryl after he allegedly assaulted a pregnant woman and then struggled with officers who attempted to detain him.
Cody Morlock, of Arizona, is facing charges of second-degree felony aggravated assault and third-degree felony obstruction of justice. He was also charged with several misdemeanors, including assault of a pregnant person, interfering with an officer, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, and multiple drug-related offenses.
Deputies responded to a call at a remote lodging site, where staff had already separated Morlock from the woman. They found him inside one of the cabins with the doors locked, refusing to come out. When he eventually stepped outside, he struggled as deputies attempted to take him into custody.
“As deputies attempted to place his hands behind his back, he began to struggle pulling his hands apart refusing to comply with the deputies lawful orders,” the affidavit states.
The woman told deputies she had returned to the property with groceries and found Morlock drinking. She tried to give him food she had purchased when he fell backward.
Believing she had pushed him, Morlock allegedly “pinned her up against a vehicle and began choking her.” He then “tackled her to the ground and punched her in the face multiple times,” court documents state.
She reported that Morlock choked her again to stop her from screaming. During the assault, he allegedly told her “he was going to kill her” and that he would “bury her out here.”
Deputies documented injuries including a bloody nose, bruising on her arms and hands, and scraped knees consistent with the reported assault.
When deputies spoke with Morlock, he said he did not remember the incident. He acknowledged drinking and told deputies he thought his blood-alcohol level was “probably around 0.20.”
A portable breath test later measured it at 0.165, which is slightly lower than what he believed but still more than three times higher than Utah’s legal driving limit of 0.05%.
Deputies obtained permission to search the cabin and reported finding marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside. A later search of his vehicle, carried out under a warrant, resulted in the seizure of additional drug paraphernalia and rolled marijuana cigarettes.
Morlock was booked into the Iron County Jail.