Possible plea deal coming for Smithfield man accused of burning young boys with chemicals

LOGAN — Attorneys claim Jason Summers is expected to plead guilty next month, to burning two young boys with a chemical last summer. The 33-year-old Smithfield man is being held in jail without bail since being arrested June 15.

Summers appeared in 1st District Court Tuesday morning. He is charged with two counts of child abuse and burglary, a second-degree felony; obstructing justice and escaping from custody, a third-degree felony; and six other misdemeanors. The charges carry a prison sentence of up to 15-years if convicted.

Public defender Shannon Demler said Summers underwent a mental evaluation that should be completed in a couple weeks. He explained that they will be ready to enter a plea when the report is finished. The resolution would prevent the case from going to trial, where the victims would have to testify.

In June, Summers allegedly approached two-boys and threw a chemical-like substance on them. The five-year-old had minor burns on his back. The three-year-old sustained more severe burns to his face, eyes and chest. Both were hospitalized.

Summers tried to flee several times from officers before being arrested.

During Tuesday hearing, Judge Brian Cannell ordered Summers to appear again in court December 4.

In 2016, Summers was convicted of discharging a firearm and possession of drugs, after he broke into an LDS Church and then tried to shoot at a neighbor. He was ordered to serve 90-days in jail and then placed on probation for one-year.


[email protected]

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.