LOGAN — A 71-year-old Logan businessman and martial arts instructor has been sent to prison for reportedly threatening to shoot and kill a woman during a domestic dispute. Michael Henry Evans has been in the Cache County Jail since being arrested March 26.
According to court records, Evans appeared Jan. 5 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He previously accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to kidnapping and aggravated assault, both second-degree felonies; felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony; and damaging a communication device, a class B misdemeanor.
According to prosecutors, the victim called 911, saying Evans had grabbed her hair and thrown her on the floor. She told Logan City Police officers how he placed a gun to her head and made multiple threats, before firing a round into the floor.
The woman described how she had gone to her Logan home around 8 p.m. when the argument began. For several hours, Evans kept her from leaving, taking her phone and computer as she attempted to contact law enforcement. She was eventually able to escape and flee to her office in North Logan, where she called law enforcement.
Police located Evans and questioned him about the incident. He claimed they had a minor argument, but nothing had taken place. When asked about the shooting, he claimed the woman had grabbed the gun from him, and it discharged as he was trying to get it back.
The victim was taken to the hospital to be checked. Police reported that she had bruising to her arms, along with red marks and scratches on her neck.
During Monday’s sentencing, Evans was ordered to serve a term of 4 to 15 years in the Utah State Prison, with credit for the 285 days already served in jail. He was also ordered to pay $11,609 in restitution to the victim.
Evans spent years teaching martial arts and operated the Master Evans Martial Arts School until it closed in 2024. He launched Virginia’s Argentina Café earlier this year, which closed abruptly after his arrest.