Newly freed inmate accused of stealing deputy truck in Juab County
Mar 8, 2022, 2:34 PM | Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 11:43 am
Two people are dead after their car collided with a semitruck on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024. (Canva)
(Canva)
JUAB COUNTY, Utah — A newly released inmate at the Juab County jail is back behind bars after officials said he stole an unmarked police vehicle early Tuesday morning.
The inmate, previously jailed for burglary of a vehicle, reportedly got into a truck that was left running. Then he got out. He finally got back in and took off.
In a statement, the Juab County Sheriff’s office said they issued an ATL (attempt to locate) and the truck was listed as stolen.
It was eventually tracked to Millard County, where the Utah Highway Patrol spotted it on northbound I-15 near Levan.
Officials said they did not want this to turn into a vehicle pursuit, so instead of attempting to stop the driver, they put spikes on the freeway near milepost 221.
The truck got off the freeway in Nephi after it hit the spikes. The driver came to a stop and was taken into custody without incident.
The officer that left the truck running said he believed he’d locked it with his keyfob. Later, officials said the door had a mechanical failure that prevented it from locking.
