By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
An Iron County man was sentenced this week to up to five years in the Utah State Prison for burglary and assaulting peace officers.
Christopher Gene Slayton, 40, received the sentence after Deputy Iron County Attorney Dallin Brooks argued that his criminal history and repeated opportunities for treatment warranted prison time.
Slayton’s prior convictions include multiple offenses involving distribution of a controlled substance, DUI, damaging jails, assault by a prisoner and theft, the Iron County Attorney’s Office said. The office said he has served two previous prison sentences.
At sentencing this past week, Brooks argued that community safety should take precedence over Slayton’s request for another chance at treatment.
“Our hope is that the Board of Pardons keeps the Defendant incarcerated for the maximum allowable time under the statute,” Deputy Iron County Attorney Trajan Evans said. “The Defendant has demonstrated an inability to remain drug and crime free despite multiple opportunities for change.”
The case stemmed from a reported burglary in progress, according to court files.
At the time, a resident reported hearing Slayton banging and kicking at his door, screaming and attempting to enter through multiple doors. Officers later found shoeprints on one of the doors, the affidavit states.
When officers arrived, they found Slayton on an adjacent property. According to the charging documents, he approached law enforcement and threatened to take an officer’s gun and kill him with it.
Slayton then threw multiple punches at an officer and continued fighting as three officers took him to the ground.
After the arrest, officers reported finding a socket with burned residue that appeared to have been used as a drug pipe.
Linginfelter transported Slayton to a hospital for medical clearance before booking him into the Iron County Correctional Facility.Court records show that during the trip to the hospital, Slayton made another threat against the deputy.