VINEYARD, Utah, Oct. 14, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A Provo man is being held on felony charges after a deputy says the suspect fled in a stolen pickup packed with purloined property after ramming a deputy’s patrol car.
Tyler Leon Shepard, 36, is facing charges of:
- Two counts of receiving or transfer of stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony
- Theft by receiving stolen property, a second-degree felony
- Failure to stop or respond at command of police, a third-degree felony
- Accident involving property damage, duties of operator, a class B misdemeanor
A statement filed by a deputy of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office says Shepard, believed to be a transient based in Provo, was spotted at 6:18 a.m. in a stolen GMC pickup truck behind an apartment complex in Vineyard.
UCSO Deputy J. Posadas responded to the scene, and spotted the pickup, which had an enclosed trailer attached. The deputy activated his overhead lights and positioned his vehicle in front of the pickup, Shepard’s probable cause statement says.
“Deputy Posadas contacted a white male driver at the driver’s side of the vehicle. He had a conversation with the driver and ordered him to exit the vehicle. The driver yelled, ‘Why’
and refused to comply with Deputy Posadas.”
The deputy ordered Shepard out a second time, the statement says.
“The driver started at the deputy and yelled ‘F—,’ then fled the area in the stolen vehicle. The suspect’s vehicle collided with Deputy Posadas’ patrol vehicle, and the complainant’s vehicle. Deputy Posadas’ vehicle was disabled, and the complainant’s vehicle was damaged.
“The collision caused damaged to both sides of the trailer. The suspect fled the scene of the collision. The stolen vehicle was crashed into a 10-foot-deep ditch and abandon a short distance away. The suspect fled on foot and was not located.”
Fingerprints located on the drivers door and a cell phone in the vehicle lead officers to Shepard, who was identified by the Deputy Posadas from previous booking photos.
Stolen property found inside the trailer included a stolen Yamaha Rhino side-by-side utility vehicle found to be stolen from Provo shortly after midnight the same day. The pickup bed and cab were also filled with stolen property, the statement says.
“It appeared Tyler Shepard was committing auto burglaries and thefts the entire early morning hours of Oct. 11, 2021,” the deputy’s statement says. “The value of the stolen property is estimated well over $5000.”
Shepard was arrested on warrants two days later.
“Post Miranda warning, Tyler told me one of the detectives told him he hit a cop when he ran during the incident I was investigating. Tyler told me, ‘I didn’t hit a cop.’ This was true because the deputy was standing on the outside his vehicle. I questioned him more about the incident and he lowered his head in a defeated way and asked for an attorney.”
Shepard is being held without bail due to the amount of evidence in his case and the fact he has 11 felony warrant for his arrest.
