A truck driver accused of intentionally killing a police officer during a traffic stop on a Utah highway had been holding a woman against her will inside his truck, according to newly released court documents.

Michael Aaron Jayne, 42, is accused of driving his rig into Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser on May 5, resulting in the officer’s death. Hooser was assisting a woman who had escaped from the sleeper section of Jayne’s semitrailer. The incident took place around 6:30 a.m. on Interstate 15 near Santaquin, 65 miles south of Salt Lake City. Friends, family, fellow officers, and state officials honored the fallen officer at a public funeral on Monday.

Jayne, from Garrett, Indiana, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder targeting a law enforcement officer, kidnapping, burglary, vehicle theft, and failing to respond to officers’ signals to stop. He was already on federal probation and is being held without bail in the Utah County Jail. As of Monday, no formal charges had been filed against him in Utah.

The trouble began when an anonymous 911 caller reported a person standing on the back of Jayne’s rig as it traveled north on I-15. Hooser and Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Dustin Griffiths stopped the semitrailer to investigate. As Griffiths spoke to Jayne, a woman fled from the passenger side and ran to Hooser, pleading for help.

The woman later told police that she had been voluntarily riding with Jayne until an argument at a truck stop in Beaver, Utah. Jayne initially drove off without her but returned several times. When she refused to re-enter the truck, Jayne threatened her with a knife and bear spray until she complied, according to the affidavit.

When Griffiths reached for Jayne’s door handle, Jayne locked the door and drove off, making a sharp U-turn. He accelerated towards Hooser, who was struck and killed. Jayne then attempted to hit Griffiths and the woman but missed as they jumped out of the way.

Jayne, whose criminal history spans over 20 years, fled on foot to a nearby gas station where he stole another semitruck. Later, he stole a 1976 Ford F250 and drove to a vacant house in Mt. Pleasant. There, he broke into the home, stole boots and keys to a Ford F150, which he subsequently crashed when police performed a maneuver to stop him near Vernal, about 160 miles east of Santaquin. Jayne was apprehended at the crash site and taken to a hospital for treatment, where he stayed for a week.

At Sgt. Hooser’s funeral, his youngest daughter, Courtney, described her father as a hero, expressing heartbreak that he will not be able to walk her down the aisle later this year. "There has been anger, sadness, grief, and confusion," she said tearfully. "I’ve spent the last few days thinking about what it was like for my dad to lay there lifeless and what that man took from us with no remorse."

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called Jayne a "despicable human being" and assured Courtney that many would honor her father and support her on her wedding day.

Jayne's extensive criminal record includes multiple convictions for assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and threats of violence towards police officers. In March 2009, he was charged in Oregon with attempted aggravated murder for trying to strike an Oregon State Police officer with his vehicle. He pleaded guilty to attempted assault and being a felon in possession of body armor, resulting in a prison sentence of just over three years.

The tragic incident has not only highlighted the dangers faced by law enforcement officers but also raised concerns about the effectiveness of the criminal justice system in keeping repeat offenders off the streets. As the investigation continues, the community mourns the loss of Sgt. Hooser, a dedicated officer remembered for his commitment to public service and his heroic actions in his final moments.