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OGDEN — A former Salt Lake police officer was found not guilty of aggravated assault on Monday, after investigators say he pinned a man between his truck and the man's vehicle while under the influence in an incident that happened in December 2022 when he was off-duty.
However, 2nd District Judge Jason Nelson did find Thomas Edward Caygle, 38, guilty of negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, a class A misdemeanor. Caygle chose a bench trial instead of a jury trial.
Caygle is the second Salt Lake police officer to be found not guilty of assault in just four days. A Salt Lake County jury on Friday found Nickolas Pearce not guilty of aggravated assault after ordering a police K-9 to attack a man during a 2020 arrest.
Last week, defense attorney Ivy Telles said there were assumptions and leaps made on the day of the crash in Ogden. She said prosecutors would have to prove Caygle acted with intent in order to reach a guilty verdict, which she said would be difficult.
Ryan Goodman, the former track athlete who was pinned by Caygle's vehicle, testified Tuesday that he can no longer run without pain.
Dashboard camera video from Goodman's vehicle shows a jolt from the rear while he was stopping at a red light, interrupting a conversation. Goodman moves his car to a gas station and gets out of the car to inspect his rear bumper; he is then hit by Caygle's truck and pinned between the cars at his knees.
In the video, Goodman's girlfriend can be heard shouting for Caygle to back up as she pounds on his truck, and then she goes to pull Goodman's car forward.
Charging documents said Caygle "seemed really drunk" at the scene and was under the influence of Xanax and alcohol.
Caygle will be sentenced on March 18. The maximum sentence for a class A misdemeanor is one year in jail and up to $2,500 in fines.
