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OGDEN — A man previously convicted of stabbing his cellmate numerous times and who was released from the Utah State Prison just three weeks ago may soon be headed back after being charged with murdering a man.
Ryan Joseph Dash, 32, of Ogden, was charged Tuesday in 2nd District Court with aggravated murder, a first-degree felony, and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony. Brian Christopher Jenson, 28, of Brigham City, is listed as a co-defendant.
About 12:15 a.m. on Saturday, North Ogden police were called to a report of a man laying in the street at 432 E. 1700 North. Dalton Wood, 29 of Harrisville, “sustained two gunshot wounds, including a gunshot wound to the chest and a shotgun shot to the lower extremities,” according to charging documents
He was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries.
Police developed information that Dash may be a suspect and had been seen loading property into a vehicle as if he were about to leave the area, the charges state.
“Dash was contacted, and after initially attempting to flee from officers, he surrendered,” according to the charges. Dash was transported to the North Ogden Police Department, where he was interviewed by detectives.
During the interview, Dash allegedly said he had earlier assaulted Wood’s brother, and because of that, Wood threatened him.
“They arranged to meet at a location in North Ogden. Dash stated that (Wood) was alone, and that (Wood) had his hands in his pocket. He admitted that (Wood) did not brandish a weapon. Dash stated that he then ‘killed the (expletive),’” according to charging documents.
North Ogden police say any assault involving Wood’s brother was never reported to a police agency and they weren’t sure exactly when it may have happened.
Dash initially stated he acted alone and threw his weapons off an overpass in Box Elder County after the shooting and then burned his clothes in a church parking lot, according to the charges.
“The weapons were subsequently recovered and had been taken apart and significantly damaged,” the charges state.
In 2014, Dash was charged with aggravated assault of a prisoner, a first-degree felony, while incarcerated at the Utah State Prison. In that case, Dash’s cellmate suffered 11 “slices and punctures that required stitches or staples, four in the head, six on his back and one on his chest,” according to charging documents. When being led into maximum security at the prison, Dash was overheard telling another inmate he was there “ because I stabbed my cellie nearly to death.”
He was convicted in that case in 2017 of a reduced charge of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and was sentenced to up to five more years in prison, a sentence that was to run consecutively with his other sentences, according to court records.
According to the Department of Corrections, Dash has been in and out of prison since 2008 on various charges, and returned for parole violations several times. His other convictions include theft by receiving stolen property, possession of a forgery device and drug possession.
Dash, whose facial tattoos include the words “white power,” a swastika and “14 88” — numeric symbols used by white supremacists — his most recent stint in prison was from July 25, 2017, until Jan. 14 when he was paroled.
