LOGAN, Utah, Dec. 7, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A man who allegedly stole a vehicle in Brigham City, sped to Cache County, evaded troopers, and crashed near a Logan residence, told officers he “thought that demons were out to get him and that they were going to kill him.”
Suspect Malcolm Lamar Vanburen, 26, of Louisiana, was found by a presumptive test to be under the influence of methamphetamines and amphetamines. The results of a state lab urine test are pending.
A Logan-based Utah Highway Patrol trooper said in charging documents that he was alerted at about 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, by troopers in Box Elder County that “a vehicle was stolen in Brigham City and was driving reckless through Sardine Canyon northbound toward Cache Valley.
“Dispatch received multiple calls via 911 on the driver as the vehicle was reported to be passing in the median, emergency lane, and traveling at an extremely high rate of speed.”
Troopers located the vehicle, which was determined by radar to be traveling at 110 MPH. The suspect did not respond to officers’ lights, sirens and orders to stop, the statement says.
“We opted not to get into a pursuit due to the traffic light in Wellsville approaching,” the trooper’s report says. “The driver ran the red light at US-89-91 and SR-101. Deputies attempted to spike the vehicle near 3200 South US-89-91 which was unsuccessful.”
The driver ran through two additional lights, and was spotted by a Smithfield Police unit “driving through a grass field near 100 East and 300 South in Logan. The vehicle was driving recklessly and crashed into a light pole and ended up on the front yard of a home near 50 East 300 South.”
The suspect ran on foot but was taken into custody by a UHP trooper.
“Malcolm was making strange statements, seemed to be hallucinating, and thought that demons were out to get him and that they were going to kill him,” Vanburen’s probable cause statement says. “Malcolm was taken safely into custody and placed into my patrol car.”
Vanburen was booked into the jail on suspicion of:
- Receive or transfer of stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony
- Fail to stop or respond at command of police, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substance schedule I/II/analog, a class A misdemeanor
- Driving with measurable controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor
- Reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor
- Accident involving property damage, duties of operator, a class B misdemeanor
- Speeding, an infraction
Vanburen is being held without bail at the Cache County Jail. Utah Highway Patrol is handling the evasion case up to the crash, which will be investigated by the Logan City Police Department. Vanburen likely will face additional charges from Brigham City police, the trooper’s statement says.
