Suspect evades police, enters home where family was sleeping

PARK CITY, Utah  — A man is under arrest after leading the Summit County Sheriff’s office on an early morning chase and reportedly hiding in a Jeremy Ranch home.

Twenty-three-year-old Anthony Ortega of Preston, Idaho was arrested following a pursuit through Kimball Junction and Jeremy Ranch.

The Sheriff’s department received a call from a resident in the Summit Park area that told them someone had just stolen a package from the resident’s front porch.

He told officials that he saw the suspect on his porch camera. Police said that a deputy was in the area and found the suspect vehicle, a 2013 Lexus sedan, driving on Kilby Road. The Lexus had been reported stolen by the Murray Police Department.

The suspect did not stop when the deputy initiated a stop, instead, he drove onto eastbound I-80. The suspect exited at Kimball Junction, made a U-turn, and proceeded westbound on I-80 where deputies had deployed tire spikes.

The suspect exited the freeway at Jeremy Ranch, parked the Lexus on Homestead Road, and ran on foot according to deputies. 

Ortega ended up in a residence on Homestead Road, by accessing an unlocked rear door of the home. Deputies say there was a sleeping family in the home when Ortega entered the residence.

But officials were right behind him, and after a search of the home requested by the homeowner, Ortega was found hiding in a utility closet. He was then taken into custody.

Deputies said that Ortega had 14 previous arrest warrants. He was booked into the Summit County Jail and faces numerous felony charges including posession of a stolen vehicle, evading police, aggravated burglary, and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.

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