Benefit concert to be held in honor of fallen officer to send family, police department members to memorial event
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- A photograph of fallen Santaquin police officer Sgt. Bill Hooser sits in remembrance inside the Santaquin Police Department on Jan. 23, 2025.
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- Items honoring late Santaquin police Sgt. Bill Hooser are shown inside the Santaquin Police Department on Jan. 23, 2025.
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- A photograph of fallen Santaquin police officer Sgt. Bill Hooser sits in remembrance inside the Santaquin Police Department on Jan. 23, 2025.
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- A memorial in Santaquin for SPD Sgt. Bill Hooser who was killed while on duty
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- A flyer is shown with details of an auction and benefit concert for the late Sgt. Bill Hooser of the Santaquin Police Department.
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- Santaquin residents watch a funeral procession for Sgt. Bill Hooser on Monday, May 13, 2024.
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- Utah Highway Patrol troopers stand alongside a casket carrying fallen Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser on Monday, May 13, 2024.
The loss of Santaquin Police Sergeant Bill Hooser remains deeply felt by the Utah County community.
On May 5 of last year, Hooser was killed in the line of duty on I-15 when Michael Aaron Jayne reportedly struck and killed him with a semitruck while evading a traffic stop, police said.
Jayne was arrested in Vernal after police said he allegedly had stolen multiple vehicles, one of which he crashed while fleeing from UHP troopers.
The Utah County Attorney’s Office said they were seeking the death penalty against Jayne, who is due back in court in May.
Meanwhile, the legacy of Sgt. Hooser will live on.
Lt. Mike Wall of the Santaquin Police Department said Sgt. Hooser’s name will be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., in May as part of National Police Week.
“It’s a place that his name will always be there (and) will always be remembered,” Wall said.
In a space where so many officers are remembered for their selfless acts of service and countless sacrifices, the honor will be one of significance for the small town of Santaquin and the Hooser family for generations to come.
“It’s also a place where his family and his grandkids that come later on, they’re able to go back and see it and be proud of that time and time again,” Wall said.
Fundraising efforts have been underway to raise money that will go toward sending members of the Santaquin Police Department and the Hooser family to Washington, D.C., for the event in May. These efforts include a benefit concert and auction scheduled on Feb. 8.
The concert event is largely being organized by Mandi Southwick, a local business owner who worked with some of her contacts, including country musicians Cody Robbins and Whitney Lusk, to help put it all together.
Both Robbins and Lusk will perform at the event.
“I can’t say enough about these guys, they’ve done a phenomenal job reaching out and talking to businesses and talking to different places that have helped sponsor this event, help sponsor getting us there,” Wall told the Daily Herald.
He said just over two dozen people will make the trip to the nation’s capital. The goal is to raise around $50,000 to cover the essential expenses.
Other ongoing fundraising efforts have included selling items like customized hats, sweaters, T-shirts and various memorabilia.
“I think we’re all just happy to help and we’re excited to be able to send the family over to honor his name, and hopefully be able to send all the co-workers over too,” said McKinzie Bradshaw, a records clerk at the Santaquin Police Department who has also been helping with some of the fundraising efforts.
As the grim one-year mark of that day approaches, Wall said the police department continues to work through coping with the loss of Sgt. Hooser.
He says there’s been increased mental health efforts for officers to communicate their struggles.
“The reality of, you know, this was kind of a shock to our community, which is, you know, a little smaller, but this can happen anywhere, and this can happen to any of us,” Wall said.
With such a tragedy hitting close to home, the impacts go beyond the police department, Wall said, as families of officers can feel the impacts as well.
He said the loss of their fellow law officer has created tighter bonds among the department employees.
The auction and benefit concert will be held Feb. 8 in the Ponderosa Event Center at the Spanish Fork Fairgrounds, located at 475 S. Main St. in Spanish Fork. The auction begins at 5 p.m. and the concert will start around 8 p.m.
Tickets are still available and can be purchased on the Santaquin Recreation website. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
“We do know it’s Super Bowl weekend, but, you know, it’s a great event, and we think people will make it a priority,” Wall said.
