The DUI case originally levied against Susan Hunt in a lower justice court was refiled Monday in district court.
Hunt now faces a harsher potential penalty for a Jan. 26 episode in which she allegedly collided with a Utah Highway Patrol trooper in Tooele County while intoxicated.
She was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with class A misdemeanor reckless endangerment, class B misdemeanor driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, class C misdemeanor open container in a vehicle on a highway, along with disorderly conduct and driving on the wrong side of the roadway, both infractions.
The 52-year-old woman — who is the mother of Darrien Hunt, the 22-year-old man shot and killed by Saratoga Springs police in 2014 — was initially charged in Tooele Justice Court with DUI and reckless driving, both filed as class B misdemeanors, along with the infractions. But prosecutors in February asked to have that case dismissed so the county attorney could review toxicology and police reports before making any charging decisions.
The newly-filed reckless endangerment charge carries a maximum penalty of a year in jail. No court dates had been set as of Monday.
Hunt — who appeared to be suffering from a medical problem, as well as impairment, according to a Utah Highway Patrol report — was taken to a hospital after the January crash.
The UHP report says that the trooper was looking for a "reckless driver" at about 11 p.m. after a passerby on State Route 73 reported a westbound vehicle was swerving on the road.
The trooper turned on his overhead lights as he found a car moving in and out of the southbound lane while traveling north on State Route 36 in Stockton, the report says.
The trooper pulled up next to the car as it was traveling north in the southbound lane and got Hunt to slowly move back into the northbound lane, the report says.
"The driver would not stop and was heading toward some homes on the east side of the road," the trooper says in the report. "At the time, I feared the driver would crash into a house and injure herself and residents in the homes."
He maneuvered his patrol car in front of Hunt's vehicle, and the driver side of her car "made contact" with the passenger side of the cruiser, the trooper says in the report.
"It just missed me," the trooper is heard saying on dashcam video of the incident.
The report says the trooper smelled a very strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Hunt and saw a case of beer and an open can of the beverage on the passenger floor. The trooper talked to Hunt for 13 minutes, trying to get her to exit the vehicle on the passenger side. She refused to exit and tried to start the car.
The trooper grabbed Hunt's right arm and she tried to hit him in the face, the report says. Another trooper helped the first officer remove Hunt from the car. She was put in handcuffs and taken to a hospital by ambulance.
About five months prior to the crash, Hunt entered into a diversion agreement in a 2014 case, where she was accused of walking up to two Saratoga Springs police officers, yelling at them and striking one of them during an Oct. 18, 2014 incident.
The diversion agreement called for the charges to be dismissed if Hunt followed certain conditions during a six-month diversion period, including obeying all laws and completing grief counseling. A June 10 court hearing is now set in that case, as prosecutors seek to continue litigation.
Hunt's son, Darrien Hunt, was shot in a Saratoga Springs parking lot in September 2014 after a 911 caller reported seeing a man carrying a sword. Darrien Hunt's family said he was cosplaying as a favorite manga comic character when police approached him.
The officers say they fired several shots after Hunt swung the sword at them. The Utah County attorney's office ruled the shooting was justified.
A federal court judge ruled last month that Susan Hunt must accept a $900,000 settlement in her lawsuit against Saratoga Springs over the shooting.
Saratoga Springs did not admit any liability in making the settlement.
jmiller@sltrib.com
Twitter: @jm_miller
Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune Darrien Hunt's mother Susan Hunt at a press conference in Salt Lake City, Friday October 17, 2014. An autopsy report released Friday says Darrien Hunt was shot several times in the back by Saratoga Springs police officers chasing him.
Courtesy | Utah Highway Patrol video The Utah Highway Patrol says Susan Hunt struck a patrol vehicle on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 in Tooele County.
Courtesy | Utah Highway Patrol video The Utah Highway Patrol says Susan Hunt struck a patrol vehicle on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 in Tooele County.
Courtesy | Utah Highway Patrol video The Utah Highway Patrol says Susan Hunt struck a patrol vehicle on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2016 in Tooele County.
