A Salt Lake man who helped set up an ambush of rival gang members in Mueller Park above Bountiful last summer will spend some time in jail but won't go to prison.
Michael R. Jackson, 21, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, in the Aug. 4 ambush that left one man in critical condition with head injuries.Jackson's zero-to-five-year prison sentence was suspended by Judge Rodney S. Page, who ordered Jackson to spend 60 days in the county jail but also gave him credit for the 48 days he'd already spent in jail. The judge also granted work release to Jackson, who is working as part of the security detail for the production company filming the TV series "Touched by an Angel" in Salt Lake.
According to court records, Jackson helped plan the 10 p.m. ambush of two men, using two female accomplices to lure the victims to the park at 10 p.m. on Aug. 4.
When they arrived, expecting to meet the two teenage girls, they were met instead by 10 gang members in dark clothing, hiding in the bushes. One victim fled and called police, but the other was set on by the ambushers, who police said beat him severely, at one point breaking a baseball bat over his head.
Jackson admitted to setting up the ambush and transporting several of the gang members to the site, according to court records, but did not participate in the actual attack.
Jackson is the only adult involved in the incident. The rest of the gang members were referred to juvenile authorities.
In addition to his suspended prison sentence, Page put Jackson on probation and fined him $250.