- A former officer, Scott Elliott Russell, was arrested after a police chase.
- Russell allegedly wielded an ax and resisted arrest in Millard County.
- He faces charges including aggravated assault and failure to stop for police.
FILLMORE — A former law enforcement officer was arrested and charged Wednesday after Millard County sheriff's deputies say he fled from them in a car and, at one point, exited his vehicle with an ax.
Scott Elliott Russell, 48, was charged in 4th District Court with aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; and two counts of failure to stop or respond at command of police, another third-degree felony. He also received another charge of failure to stop or respond at command of police, a class A misdemeanor; and failure to register a vehicle, a traffic infraction.
A sheriff's deputy said he found Russell in a grey SUV parked at the bottom of the I-15 off-ramp near the Scipio rest area early Wednesday. When the deputy approached the vehicle and asked Russell to roll down his window, he said Russell shook his head and drove away.
Several "deputies and (Utah Highway Patrol) troopers" followed Russell's SUV to try and get him to stop but were "without success," according to a police booking affidavit. Russell did stop after a PIT maneuver forced him to do so, and then exited his vehicle wielding an ax, the affidavit says.
Russell was told multiple times to drop the ax, the deputy said, but he refused to do so.
The affidavit says Russell then got back into his vehicle and led police on another chase, during which his vehicle's tires were spiked, but he drove another 6 miles before coming to a stop. He was then instructed by deputies to exit the vehicle, which they said he refused to do.
Law enforcement officers used "less than lethal force" to get Russell to get out of the vehicle, the affidavit says. When officers tried to restrain Russell, they say he resisted their efforts.
Eventually, Russell began to comply, allowing deputies to take him into custody. He was booked into the Millard County Jail and, according to court documents, was denied bail.
Russell is a former police officer for the city of South Jordan. In 2020, he was arrested and accused of kidnapping his uncle on Thanksgiving Day and then charged with multiple felonies related to the incident. Court records show that Russell entered a plea in abeyance in February 2021 and was ordered to comply with a mental health court agreement. All charges were dismissed in October 2022 when Russel graduated from mental health court.
