LOGAN — A 20-year-old Smithfield man has been sentenced to seven months in jail for assaulting and attempting to strangle a woman last year. Ethan Hunter Haslam has been in the Cache County Jail since law enforcement responded to a domestic dispute, Oct. 7, 2024.
Haslam was sentenced Monday, Mar. 3, in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to burglary, a second-degree felony; three counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and sexual battery, a class A misdemeanor.
According to prosecutors, Cache County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the domestic dispute in Hyrum. The victim explained how Haslam had struck her multiple times and briefly choked her.
Deputies reported the woman had bruises, scratches, and marks consistent with being strangled. A 1-year-old child was present at the time of the assaults.
The victim also reported Haslam took her phone and threw it into a field near a convenience store. She also said that on one occasion he grabbed a knife and threatened to kill a relative.
Haslam refused to speak during Monday’s sentencing. Earlier, his public defender told the court the Smithfield man wanted to prove that he can change.
Cache County Deputy Attorney Ronnie Keller argued that the court should send Haslam to prison. He explained how the defendant had an “extensive” criminal history as a juvenile, and had been written up by deputies for fighting with other inmates in the jail.
Judge Angela Fonnesbeck expressed concern with Haslam’s conduct. She said it was time for the defendant to “start making real changes” in his life.
Haslam was sentenced to one year in jail, being given credit for 148 days previously served. She also ordered him to undergo mental health treatment, pay a $553 fine, and have no contact with the victim.