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KEARNS — A Taylorsville man was arrested Monday for allegedly throwing a knife into a man's back.

Yet when officers took Joey Martinez, 34, to the Salt Lake County Jail, jail administrators refused to accept him for undisclosed medical reasons and he was released from custody.

Police originally said Monday that Martinez had stabbed a 36-year-old man near the playground of West Kearns Elementary, 4900 S. 4620 West. But Tuesday, Unified police detective Ken Hansen clarified that Martinez used a double-edged bayonet type of weapon that he threw into the man's back.

Police say Martinez and his girlfriend were arguing and the other man tried to intervene.

The stabbing victim, Michael Smith, was taken to a local hospital in serious condition. Hansen said he has not been cooperating with investigators. Martinez was arrested when he later returned to his house where police were waiting. Hansen said he resisted arrest and officers had to forcefully remove him from his vehicle.

Martinez was taken to a local hospital to be treated for a hand injury. Hansen said the injury was from a prior incident and was not caused during the arrest.

After doctors at the hospital treated Martinez and released him, officers attempted to have Martinez booked into the Salt Lake County Jail at 1 a.m. Tuesday. But the jail refused to take him.

At one point, Hansen said jail administrators called the hospital Martinez had just come from to discuss the extent of his injuries and whether he would need surgery in the future.

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Man stabbed after argument on school playground Police searching for a man who they believe stabbed another man on the playground of West Kearns Elementary School Monday morning.

Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Cammie Skogg said the jail can refuse people for a number of reasons, including injuries that the jail might not be equipped to properly treat. Skogg said she could not comment specifically on Martinez's case or the extent of his injuries.

Martinez is listed on the Utah State Sex Offender Registry. He was convicted in Grand Junction, Colorado, in 2012 for sexual assault on a child he was in a position of trust over, according to the registry.

In 2009, Martinez was convicted in 3rd District Court of aggravated assault and unlawful acquisition of a bank card. He was originally placed on probation, but he violated that and was sentenced to the Utah State Prison for up to five years.

Recently, he was charged in February in Salt Lake County Justice Court with possession of drug paraphernalia; in April he was charged with assault in a domestic violence-related case, according to court records. A warrant was issued for his arrest on April 28. On April 7, Martinez was charged with criminal mischief in Taylorsville Justice Court in a separate domestic violence case, according to court records.

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