911 call released by suspect accused of killing police officer in Santaquin

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A 911 call from the suspect accused of killing Santaquin police officer Bill Hooser has been released.

In the early morning hours of May 5, 2024, a man called 9-1-1 to report erratic driving on I-15 in southern Utah County. The call to Central Utah 911 took less than 10 minutes and involved three different dispatchers.

Over the next hour, investigators quickly concluded that the caller was a man named Michael Jayne. Jayne's call to dispatchers began at approximately 5:54 a.m.

Within the next half hour or so, Jayne is accused of driving a stolen semi-trailer directly into Sergeant Bill Hooser of Santaquin, who died as a result of the collision.

Jayne is said to have fled the scene, stolen another semi-trailer and two other vehicles and was arrested by police after an hours-long manhunt.

First, Jayne reported to the first dispatcher that he was on I-15 and said, “There's a car that's driving very erratically and almost collided with a semi-truck.”

About a minute later, Jayne reported his location: “I-15, mile 231.” He also said there was a “large truck in distress.”

The dispatcher asked if he had been following the vehicle. Jayne said he had not been following the semi-truck, but had also been heading north.

“Just listening to the conversation, I wouldn't identify him as the driver of the semi-trailer,” said Brent Jex, executive director of the Utah Fraternal Order of Police, who heard the conversation for the first time.

When asked his name on the phone, Jayne replied, “Concerned citizen.”

“Can I know your name?” asked the dispatcher.

“I'm a concerned citizen, ma'am,” replied Jayne, who then asked if this was required for 911.

When asked again for his name, Jayne said, “I wish to remain anonymous.”

“Yeah, I’ve never heard of anyone calling to check in,” Jex said as he overheard the conversation.

Throughout the conversation, Jayne shared his approximate location based on mile markers on I-15.

“There are members of the Hells Angels targeting a truck driver at exit 233,” Jayne said.

The dispatcher asked how many people were involved.

“Two,” said Jayne. “One of them is on the semi-trailer.”

“And where is the other one?” asked the dispatcher.

“He’s in a car,” Jayne said.

MORE about MICHAEL JAYNE and SGT. BILL HOOSER:

Jayne vaguely described a dark-colored four-door sedan.

“I remember that morning when people were reported in the back of the truck, but I hadn't heard that they were supposedly Hells Angels,” Jex said, listening in on the conversation. “It sounds like he was making up some ideas without knowing that Hells Angels don't ride in limousines, they ride on motorcycles.”

Jayne then asked the dispatcher where the police officers were.

“How far out is the cop, ma'am?” asked Jayne.

“We’re sending them there now,” the dispatcher replied.

“How far, ma'am?” asked Jayne.

“I don’t know,” the dispatcher replied.

“It's almost like he has an idea of ​​what this would look like in a movie, and that's the story he wants to portray,” Jex said. “Despite everything else, I probably wouldn't say he's the one driving the semi.”

As the 911 call continued, Jayne responded less and less. He was asked about the color of the semi-truck, gave a vague description but would not say what markings the truck had.

The dispatcher asks several times: “Are you still there?”, to which Jayne does not respond.

After about six minutes of conversation, Jayne asks again, “Where is the policeman, ma'am?”

The dispatcher replied that police were on the way and asked what vehicle Jayne was driving.

“Milestone 239,” Jayne replied. The dispatcher asked for the vehicle description again and Jayne responded with his location.

The last time Jayne speaks on the phone is at 6:04 a.m.: “Exit 242, ma'am, Summit Ridge Parkway.”

The dispatcher asks further questions, including: “Are you still behind the semi-trailer?” and “Do you see any vehicles or a police officer behind you?”

Jayne never replied.

After 2News played the emergency call for Jex, it asked him what stood out about the call.

“The scarcity of details,” Jex said. “I think the operations center did a really good job trying to get the information out, and there's just not enough to connect the dots even when you know what the end result was.”

Jex, who served as a Utah police officer for more than 20 years, also began his career as a 911 dispatcher.

“I worked as an emergency responder for a while before I became a police officer,” Jex said. “One of the things they drill into them is that you can't give out information you don't get.”

Jex mentioned that there was no way to determine what Jayne's possible motive was at the time of the call or what vehicle he was driving.

“You can’t know that on that first call,” Jex said.

Jayne faces 15 counts for his alleged role in that day's events, including felony charges in connection with the death of Santaquin Police Sergeant Bill Hooser.

Jayne's next court date is scheduled for November.

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