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SALT LAKE CITY — A Wyoming man who allegedly attacked a U.S. Forest Service officer and his dog last week faces new criminal charges.
A federal grand jury indicted Aaron Bradley Jereb, 33, on charges of assaulting a federal officer, harming a law enforcement animal and separate counts of possession of heroin, methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.
A criminal complaint filed earlier included only the assault on a federal officer charge.
Forest Service K-9 officer Darren Schiedel noticed a mirror and white powder on the center console of a car parked in Lambs Canyon last week. He asked the occupants, Jereb and Amber Haanpaa, to get out of the car and then handcuffed them.
Schiedel issued them citations and was preparing to leave when Haanpaa asked him to help jump-start their stalled car, according a federal complaint.
After the car started, Jereb confronted Schiedel, telling the officer, "You don't look so good." Schiedel called for backup and Jereb told him it would never arrive in time, the complaint says.
Fearing an attack, Schiedel remotely released his dog, Livo. The dog took Jereb to the ground and Jereb gouged the dog's eyes and tried to strangle him, the complaint says. He also tried to pull the dog over an embankment.
Schiedel deployed his Taser, but Jereb was able to turn the weapon on him, using the Taser on the officer several times before he regained control of it, the complaint says. Schiedel also used pepper spray on Jereb, who then ran away.
Backup officers arrived and eventually apprehended Jereb.
Haanpaa told investigators Schiedel was being "very nice" to them and that Jereb was high on methamphetamine, according to the complaint.
Jereb is being held in the Weber County Jail.
