Man sentenced for aggravated assault in road rage incident

ST. GEORGE – A St. George man convicted of aggravated assault connected to an alleged road rage incident earlier this year was sentenced Wednesday.

Rashad Alton, 23, was convicted by a jury on Aug. 25 for third-degree felony aggravated assault after allegedly pointing a firearm at people in a car on Interstate 15 for cutting off the car he was a passenger in.

A pre-sentencing investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident recommended Alton be placed on probation, noting his lack of any criminal history before the event.

Washington County Deputy Attorney Bryan Wheat called the recommendation generous, adding he felt Alton should serve time in jail for the severity of the crime.

“Frankly I consider this to be light,” 5th District Judge G. Michael Westfall said of the sentencing recommendation.

Westfall gave Alton an amended sentence of 60 days in the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility, to be followed by 36 months supervised probation. Alton has the possibility of being released earlier for good time, Westfall added. Alton was also ordered to complete community service hours at a rate of $6 per hour which could be applied to fines related to his sentence.

Alton was arrested on Feb. 11 following what has been described as a road rage incident on I-15. He was a passenger in a Honda Civic traveling on the highway through St. George and Washington when the car he was traveling in was forced over the rumble strips when it was cut off by a white Honda Accord.

Testimony given during the trial indicated the driver of the Civic sped up to pass the Accord. This is when Alton allegedly leaned out of the window and pointed a pistol at a couple in the Accord. The couple in the Honda contacted the police who later found and stopped the Civic in St. George. Testimony from the Civic’s driver and another passenger said Alton had actually pointed a phone at the Accord and not a gun.

The St. George Police officer who stopped the Civic reported finding a 9 mm handgun in the glove box that matched the description given by the couple in the Accord.

Alton was subsequently convicted by a jury of eight for third-degree felony assault.

Following the trial, defense attorney Edward Flint said the jury possibly convicted Alton because they potentially “saw a black man with a gun.” Though guns are commonplace in Utah, he said, when someone sees a black man with a gun, somehow it’s different.

Alton reports to the county jail Friday.

St. George News Reporter Aspen Stoddard contributed to this story.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

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11 Comments

  • Mean Momma October 1, 2014 at 7:26 pm

    Let the race card play begin…..

    • hermena October 2, 2014 at 7:23 am

      Seems to mean you are the ONLY one injecting the “race card” here.Can’t get enough of can you?
      Liberal are you?

      • Mean Momma October 2, 2014 at 11:38 am

        No, I’m just referring to the previous article where he was saying he can’t get a fair trial because the jury is white and racist. Both he and his lawyer said that in the first article about this story… But thanks for assuming .

      • Mike October 2, 2014 at 3:06 pm

        Hermena, the guy’s lawyer brought up race. Did you make it to the end of the article? He demeaned the jury saying, “Though guns are common place in Utah, when someone sees a BLACK man with a gun it’s somehow different.” Sour grapes, lawyer.

  • Mr. Jinx October 1, 2014 at 7:34 pm

    It seems to me that Mr. Alton is really, truly a lucky man. Just how many cars have drivers and/or passengers that are armed. He is lucky he didn’t try his crap with someone who was ready, willing and quite able to put a quick stop to his actions.

  • Bobber October 1, 2014 at 10:19 pm

    I modified my glove box so I can fit two ak47s in there. I’m ready!!!

    • koolaid October 2, 2014 at 8:26 am

      Of course. It is almost hunting season.

  • koolaid October 2, 2014 at 8:28 am

    What happened to the ST George guy who fired his gun at somebody’s feet? Did the church absolve him of everything for simple misunderstanding and lapse in judgement?

  • Dave Rabbitt October 2, 2014 at 1:49 pm

    MR. JINX: If someone points a gun at you while traveling in a vehicle, it doesn’t give you the right, to point a gun back at them. What would YOU had done, if after pointing YOUR gun back at the perpetrator and he opened fire? Would you have returned fire? To hell, with the rest of the innocent motorists on the freeway, right? Because this isn’t real life, but just a scene from a movie, or just another afternoon in the desert, shooting at each other on horseback.

  • kellyok2 June 19, 2016 at 12:06 pm

    This guy was found guilty because he was it had nothing to do with his color. I live next door to this sob .he is filthy, loud mouthed sob.i constantly fear for my safety as long as he is around. Rashad if you don’t like us and think we are fake why don’t u go home to Mississippi!!!!!!!!!! ? You’re kind is not wanted here, not because you are black because you are nothing but a bully and Trouble with a capital T. You got off because you were starting a family. You should get down on you’re knees this kind of thing is not usually tolerated. I think you should have gotten at least five years for terrorizing this family. How would you have felt if it had been you’re famil???????????!…..

  • kellyok2 June 19, 2016 at 12:15 pm

    This guy was found guilty because he was. I think he got off because he was starting a family. Rashad how would you have felt if it had been you’re family. You should be down on you’re knees like I think you should still be for terrorizing this family

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