ST. GEORGE — A Southern Utah woman called 911 Thursday to report that she had hit her husband and that she may have killed him.
Officers and medical personnel were dispatched to the residence of Sarah Bessie China, 37, of Cedar City, just before midnight Thursday, according to a probable cause statement filed by Cedar City Police in support of the arrest.
China reported that she hit her husband and he was bleeding, the arresting officer wrote in the sworn statement, adding:
She then stated that he was not breathing and she thinks she killed him.
Officers arrived and found the man standing in the front room of the residence “with blood coming from his head and face,” the report states.
The man wouldn’t speak to officers about the incident, according to the statement, but a witness told police that China had hit the man with a lamp, causing a large laceration to the top of his head.
China and the man – who have different last names – were living together at the time of the assault, the report states but does not specify if the two are married.
The man was transported to a local hospital for stitches, while China was arrested and transported to the Iron County Jail.
The Iron County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing China of third-degree felony aggravated assault.
“Sarah (China) is being charged with aggravated assault due to the fact that she used a weapon that could have killed (the man) as was evident by Sarah saying that (the man) was not breathing and that she had killed him,” the officer wrote in the statement.
China is scheduled to appear before 5th District Judge Keith Barnes Monday afternoon for her initial appearance.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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