BRIGHTON, Utah – Brighton resident Keith Stebbings pleaded guilty to third-degree felony assault after he threatened a skier and a snowboarder who unknowingly trespassed on his property, exhibiting a Winchester rifle as they moved on his driveway this past February.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the 67-year-old will have the felony charge dismissed if he abides by the terms of his probation. Stebbings will see 36-months of probation, in addition to surrendering his .30-30 Winchester rifle, taking a gun safety course, and writing an essay on deadly force in Utah.
The essay details Stebbings’ understanding of how his actions meat Utah’s standards for ‘Threatening with or using a dangerous weapon in fight or quarrel.‘ Additionally, he explains that his behavior has changed following the incident, and that other neighbors who’ve had similar trespassing experiences have approached Brighton Resort in search of a solution. Stebbings’ writing is available below:
Keith Stebbings’ Essay on use of deadly force in Utah:
“It is clear to me now through the information packet and studying the Utah Criminal Code above that my actions do meet (1) (a) (i) and (iii). I do appreciate the term ‘exhibited’ in the code. It is far clearer to me than brandish. I was unaware at the time of the incident that exhibiting an unloaded gun on my personal private property was unlawful when encountering an individual trespassing.
My actions do not meet (1) (b) (i) because my actions were threatening.
Subsequent to the incident and immediately following the incident my behavior changed through helpful recommendations and insightful advice from officers of the UPD. At that point onward I no longer brought the gun out-of-doors. They offered to patrol more often, suggested I call the non emergency number to request patrol when there is likelihood of heavy trespasser traffic (which I did) and capture trespassers on video with a non threatening warning that they are on private property (which I did).
Additionally, neighbors who have had trespasser experiences have banded together partly on my behalf to approach the Brighton Ski Resort to inquire whether the Resort would be willing to develop a plan and install appropriate diversion mechanisms to alleviate the trespasser problem.
Respectfully submitted,
Keith Stebbings“