Booking photo for Stuart C. Martin (Courtesy: Cache County Jail).
LOGAN — A 25-year-old Newton man who confessed to threatening his wife with gun to do her chores, leading to a standoff with SWAT teams last year, has been sentenced to jail. Stuart C. Martin was sentenced to serve 210 days behind bars after previously accepting a plea deal that likely kept him from being sent to prison.
Martin was in 1st District Court Tuesday morning, appearing by web conference from jail. He previously pleaded guilty to amended charges of kidnapping, felony discharge of a firearm, and assault against a peace officer, all second-degree felonies; and, aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.
On December 22, 2019 Martin threatened to kill his wife if she didn’t do her chores. He set a timer and pointed a handgun at her while she was forced to clean the garage. At one point, he fired the handgun at least once.
SWAT teams and negotiators were called to the home and set up a command center at a nearby church. They surrounded the house, while attempting to contact Martin and the victim.
Negotiators were able to speak with the woman on the phone. She was able to escape the house through a window and run to waiting deputies. They continued negotiations with Martin, who remained inside the home. He surrendered to SWAT operators without incident around two hours later.
In April, Martin accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty the reduced charges. As part of the agreement, prosecutors agreed not to request that Martin be placed on the Kidnapper Registry.
will@cvradio.com