By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
An Iron County man was arrested after allegedly trying to break into a stranger’s home, fighting with deputies and threatening to take an officer’s gun and kill him.
Christopher Gene Slayton, 40, was booked into the Iron County Correctional Facility Aug. 5, on suspicion of second-degree felony burglary, four misdemeanor counts of assault on a peace officer and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
Deputies responded after a resident reported hearing Slayton banging on his door and what sounded like someone kicking it, an affidavit of probable cause states. The resident told authorities Slayton was screaming and trying to enter through multiple doors.
Investigators later found shoe prints on one of the doors.
When deputies arrived, they found Slayton on a neighboring property. He approached law enforcement and said he would take a “fake cop’s” gun and kill him with it, the affidavit states.
Slayton then allegedly threw multiple punches at an officer and continued fighting as three officers took him to the ground.
After his arrest, deputies found a 9-millimeter socket with burn residue that appeared to have been used as a drug pipe, court records state.
While being transported to a hospital for medical clearance, Slayton allegedly threatened the deputy driving him.
“When he got out of the truck,” the deputy wrote, Slayton said “he would rip my head off.”
Following his medical evaluation, Slayton was booked into jail.
The arresting deputy requested that Slayton remain in custody, describing him as a danger to the community because of the alleged attempted burglary, the altercation with law enforcement and repeated threats to kill officers.