Truck driver who ran over officer in “paranoid” incident suing county for not providing high quality lawyers

A truck driver facing the death penalty for running over a police officer during a “paranoid” incident is now suing the county for not providing high quality defense as required in death penalty cases. 

Truck Driver Michael Aaron Jayne struck and killed Sergeant Bill Hooser in Santaquin, Utah on May 5th, 2024 during a traffic stop. The traffic stop was conducted after Jayne reportedly called police on himself during a “paranoid” episode. Jayne is also believed to have been holding his girlfriend against her will at the time of the incident. Jayne attempted a u-turn during the traffic stop and struck Hooser, pinning him between the semi truck and patrol vehicle. Jayne eventually fled the scene on foot.

Since being placed in jail, Jayne has been pinned with more charges for spraying an unknown liquid on an officer and attempting to “dig [an officer’s] eyeball out of his head.” Jayne also reportedly served time previously for the attempted murder of an Oregon State Police Trooper. The wife of Hooser also filed a lawsuit against Jayne and the trucking company who hired him in November 2025. The suit alleges that the company “breached their duty by not vetting or investigating Jayne’s history, to verify whether he was a competent, unsafe, or violent person.”

Now, Jayne is suing Utah County for failing to provide funding for a high-quality defense for him. The government is required to do so when the defendant is facing the death penalty and cannot afford an attorney, reported ABC4.

Jayne was deemed indigent on May 13, 2024, meaning the court found him unable to afford an attorney. He was not assigned a public defender until July 2nd, 2024. More than one attorney assigned to Jayne eventually withdrew from the case due to lack of funding. The suit argues that the county is constitutionally obligated to provide adequate funding for high quality defense in Jayne’s case.

“When the State seeks to execute someone, they have the responsibility to provide for a high-quality defense,” says attorney Elizabeth Wang, who represents Mr. Jayne in his civil complaint. “This is a core tenet of our justice system. Utah County is failing in that duty in this case.”     

So far, the county has only assigned $280,000 in attorney funds for Jayne’s case. 

“This, the complaint argues, is grossly insufficient for an aggravated murder case like Mr. Jayne’s, where restrictions on hours for representation and investigation could mean the difference between life and death,” the civil defense team said in a public statement. “Already, several attorneys representing Mr. Jayne quit over the lack of funds, and his current defense attorney has reported that the County has denied requests for additional funding.”

“By February 2026, Nish [Jayne’s attorney] had billed over 100% of the funds available under the Contract for phase 1 (prior to the preliminary hearing). The second part of the preliminary hearing concluded on March 26, 2026,” the lawsuit states.

The suit also alleges that the county is obligated to provide additional funding for experts due to the complexity of the case. 

A judge overseeing the lawsuit has stated “that she believed exculpatory evidence was lost in the Capital Aggravated Murder Case due to the fact that no investigator was assigned to Plaintiff for the first two months of the case.”

“They’re trying to rig the game against our client,” argued attorney Jordan Poole. “Utah County is responsible for both sides of this trial, and one side is trying to kill Mr. Jayne while the other is being starved of the resources necessary to defend his life. It’s not fair, it’s not legal, and it’s not going to stand.”

The lawsuit seeks to have the cap on attorney compensation and other fees removed, a removal of pre-approval requirements for experts, and a preliminary injunction against the county to prevent “further violation of his rights” and to provide him with “adequate and timely funding for his defense.”