SALT LAKE CITY — A former officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department tells FOX 13 News he is ready to be sentenced next month for negligently operating a vehicle.
Thomas Caygle was found not guilty of aggravated assault in February after a December 2022 crash that occurred while he was off duty. He believes post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) led to his panic attack, resulting in the crash and conviction.
The victim, who asked to not be identified, stepped out of his vehicle after a fender bender with Caygle at an Ogden intersection. Then he had his leg crushed between his own car and Caygle’s truck. Prosecutors failed to convince a judge that either crash was intentional.
Instead, Judge Jason C. Nelson ruled the crashes were accidental.
"I don’t know why Mr. Caygle would have wanted to run (anyone) over," Judge Nelson said. "I don't believe he did.”
Aggravated assault would have carried a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Instead, Caygle now faces up to one year in jail.
“I still, to this day, believe that he was intentionally trying to do what he did,” the victim said.
Throughout the trial, Caygle said the first crash was an accident when his foot slipped off the pedal and that the second crash was the result of a panic attack.
Although he hoped to be acquitted of all charges, Caygle said he feels vindicated by the verdict. He agreed to speak exclusively with FOX 13 News prior to his sentencing hearing, which is scheduled for April 29.
"I honestly don't care what happens to me at this point,” Caygle said. “It was a nightmare. My worst nightmare, and then on top of that? Going into jail for a week? Being on 23-hour lockdown because you're a cop, and everybody knows you're a cop? It was rough. Seeing people that I had worked with coming to bring me my meals? That's embarrassing.”
Caygle said he understands why police officers are put under a microscope, and he agrees that they should be held to a higher standard. He also said the job likely led to his panic attack. He was diagnosed with PTSD after multiple officer-involved shootings.
“I felt horrible,” Caygle said. “I don't want to hurt anybody. I want to go home to my family, just like they want to go home to theirs.”
Although he mostly blames the panic attack, Caygle also demonstrated how easy it is for his Dodge pickup truck to shift from Drive into Neutral – but not into Reverse.
“This is what I was doing, as hard as I could,” Caygle demonstrated, repeatedly jamming his hand into the shifter. “My hand was bruised. All I had to do was pull back and up... I should have known better, but I didn't do anything wrong. (The public) should have waited for all the facts to come out before they automatically judged me.”
Prosecutors argued Caygle was under the influence of alcohol. Blood tests showed Caygle did not have alcohol in his system. Prior to the trial, SLCPD fired Caygle for a violation of department policy.
Caygle said he plans to move out of Utah and no longer apply for jobs within the policing profession.
“I’m not Jesus,” Caygle said. “I'm not perfect. I'm just like everybody else. You make mistakes, you learn from them, and you move on.”
