A woman who assaulted a Utah Highway Patrol officer was granted on Friday a May 22, 1990, parole date by the Utah Board of Pardons.
Diana Freeman Morgan, 30, was arrested in November 1986 for drunken driving. Handcuffed and seated in the front of the patrol car, Morgan became belligerent and kicked former highway patrol trooper Mark Sessions in the head while he was driving her to jail.Sessions just recently had returned to duty after spending time recuperating from other assault injuries received from previous DUI and other arrests he had made. He later was granted a medical retirement and ended his career as a trooper as a result of Morgan's actions.
"I brought this all on myself. It was just stupidity," Morgan said to the board.
Board member Victoria Palacios told Morgan that her violent actions as a result of drinking have proven to be very dangerous. "Very few women are convicted for violent offenses," she said.
"Your violence really does concern me," board member Gary Webster said. "I'd be the first to recommend your return to prison if you are found drinking. I'm that dead serious about your violence."
Morgan is serving two zero- to five-year sentences, for assault by a prisoner and credit card fraud. She is also serving a one-year sentence for check forgery. Morgan accumulated a $1,400 bill on a stolen credit card and was caught trying to cash stolen checks while on probation for the assault.
As stipulations for her parole, Morgan will be required to abstain from alcohol, submit to random urinalysis, complete an alcohol therapy program and pay restitution for the trooper's medical expenses.