TOOELE, Utah, Aug. 30, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Two men and a teenage woman are being held on felony charges after leading officers from multiple law agencies on an extended chase across Tooele County.
Charged in the chase, which began at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, are Kenneth Charles Russell, 29, Dalton Lane Durfee, 21, and Breylin Luree Eastburn, 18.
Russell and Durfee face identical charges of:
- Controlled substances schedule l or ll, a second-degree felony
- Criminal mischief, loss less than $5,000, a second-degree felony
- Failure to stop or respond at the command of police, a third-degree felony
- Reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor
- Failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
- Driving on a suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor
Breylin Luree Eastburn, 18, faces charges of:
- Controlled substances schedule l or ll, a second-degree felony
- Failure to stop or respond at the command of police, a third-degree felony
- Failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor
- Obstruction of justice, a class A misdemeanor
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
- Purchase or possession of tobacco by a minor, an infraction
Eastburn’s bail was set at $2,000.
Russell and Durfee are being held without bail.
The Utah Highway Patrol said it first encountered Eastburn and one of the men in the dark truck at the intersection of northbound State Route 36 and State Route 138.
“I observed the tire pressure of the front driver tire was exceptionally low and it appeared to me unsafe and likely to burst,” the officer’s statement says. “I moved after the vehicle and activated my emergency equipment. The vehicle initially appeared to yield to my emergency lights but then fled from me at high speed and unsafe manner from SR-36 onto Sunset Road in Lake Point.”
The officer terminated the chase, but drove through the neighborhood the black pickup had entered. A motorist told the officer he saw the truck drive behind a house under construction, and a male and a female flee on foot. He pointed out the female, Eastburn, the statement says.
Eastburn was found carrying several bags and was out of breath, the statement says.
“When we told her to come to us she tossed down a dark object later found to be holding BBs. I was able to see in her bag a container of cigarillos although she is under 21 years of age.”
Post Miranda, Eastburn admitted to being inside the fleeing vehicle, but refused to identify the driver, the statement says. She admitted to owning the tobacco products, said she had drug paraphernalia in her bag because she hung out with people who used drugs, and claimed she did not know what methamphetamine was.
The fleeing male was later found entering another vehicle, which then fled from UHP, TCSO, Grantsville, Tooele City police, and the DPS helicopter for the next three hours, the probable cause statement says.
“During that time, the vehicle fled several times as police units attempted to stop the vehicle and then terminated for safety reasons.
The pickup drove through multiple properties, causing damage estimated in the thousands of dollars, the statement says. It also sped through residential neighborhoods and drove through Union Pacific property, requiring operations be shut down.
The light-colored pickup was seen refueling, “providing ample opportunity for a non-willing occupant to leave the vehicle and the situation,” the statement says.
The vehicle eventually became disabled due to the reckless driving, it says, and the two men fled on foot. Multiple officers were required to take them into custody.
Drug paraphernalia, which later tested positive for meth, was found in the truck, as were “numerous items suspected stolen,” the UHP statement says.
Gephardt Daily will have updates on this story as information becomes available.
