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PROVO, Utah (AP) -- A judge has delayed sentencing a Provo teenager on assault charges after an attorney said the young man's agression was the result of abuse.
Attorney Keith Eddington says 17-year-old Jerry Gale suffered years of substantial abuse by his father which later caused him to act out. He says Gale, who has spent more than 230 days in the Utah County Jail, needs counseling.
Gale is charged with aggravated assault for the Sept. 1 armed assault on a counselor from the Provo Heritage School, a psychiatric treatment facility for adolescents. Gale was 16 at the time of the assault, but was charged as an adult.
Fourth District Judge Steven Hansen on Tuesday ordered Gale to undergo psychological and behavioral evaluation at the state prison. Another hearing will be held in June.
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Information from: Deseret Morning News
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)









