An 18-year-old woman accused of threatening to shoot a group of men near Utah Valley University spent less than a day behind bars before a judge ordered her release on non-monetary conditions. Aleena Bonesteel, of South Jordan, faces seven charges stemming from a Wednesday encounter that left four men fleeing in fear near the Orem campus, according to court documents.
UVU campus police located Bonesteel on the university's campus after the alleged confrontation, according to the Daily Herald. She was booked into Utah County Jail that day on four counts of threat of violence, a Class B misdemeanor; one count of criminal trespass, a Class A misdemeanor; interference with a peace officer, also a Class B misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, an infraction.
According to the affidavit cited by the newspaper, Bonesteel approached four men who were walking home from UVU and allegedly commented about shooting them. The four fled because they feared for their safety, the affidavit states. Bonesteel later admitted to being violent while talking with the group, per the same account, though the precise nature of that admission is not detailed further in the affidavit.
A Trespassing Chase Into a Restricted Building
The affidavit also describes a separate incident in which Bonesteel allegedly followed a female victim onto a flight of stairs and yelled at her. She admitted to taking a picture of the victim's feet in her shoes, the report states, and allegedly attempted to convince the woman to take her to her apartment. Bonesteel then allegedly cornered the victim before following her into a restricted-access building near the university — conduct that forms the basis for the criminal trespass charge — before running back out of the building.
The Green on Campus Drive, a five-building complex with 1,604 beds located directly adjacent to UVU and connected to the campus by a pedestrian tunnel, is the type of restricted-access student housing property described in the affidavit. When officers moved to place Bonesteel in handcuffs, she resisted arrest, leading to the interference charge under Utah law.
Mental Health and Substance Use Cited in Affidavit
Bonesteel told officers she was off her bipolar medications, had not slept or eaten for multiple days, and said she was high at the time of the encounter, according to the affidavit reported by the Daily Herald. She also attributed her behavior to the rap music she listens to and creates. Her overall state of mind appeared to indicate she was experiencing some sort of mental episode, the affidavit notes.
UVU's police department, which employs 23 sworn officers with full law enforcement authority in Orem, provides dedicated training in mental health crisis intervention and coordinates with Wasatch Mental Health and campus health services, according to the university's annual security documentation. The department has faced heightened scrutiny over campus safety protocols since responding to a shooting at UVU last September, a case Hoodline previously reported triggered closer coordination with the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Release Conditions and the Law Behind It
A 4th District Court judge ordered Bonesteel's release the following day under conditions requiring that she not commit any new criminal offenses, appear for all future court proceedings, and comply with other unspecified stipulations. Utah Code § 77-20-203 directs magistrates and judges to impose the least restrictive non-monetary conditions necessary to ensure a defendant returns to court and does not endanger the public, before resorting to cash bail or detention — a framework that governed the judge's decision in this case.
Under Utah Code § 76-5-107, each threat-of-violence count carries a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine. The criminal trespass charge, filed under Utah Code § 76-6-206, is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to 364 days in jail and fines as high as $2,500 — the most serious charge Bonesteel faces. The interference charge under Utah Code § 76-8-305 carries a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail.
The case unfolds against a backdrop of growing scrutiny on public safety around UVU, the largest public university in Utah with a Fall 2025 enrollment of 48,670 students. Orem officials proposed a property tax increase this past May to fund two additional police officers for the city, a move Hoodline reported on as local leaders sought to keep pace with growth around dense campus and commercial corridors.
