JUAB COUNTY, Utah, July 3, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The suspect wanted in a Juab County hit-and-run accident on Interstate 15 was captured Saturday night, according to a statement by the Utah Highway Patrol.
“The suspect has been located and was taken into police custody. Thank you to all that helped and called in tips,” the UHP tweeted at 8:46 p.m.
Officers from multiple agencies, led by the UHP, had been searching for the suspect since Saturday morning, shortly after he left an accident site involving another vehicle on I-15 near mile marker 195, according to the UHP.
A UHP trooper gave chase until the suspect’s crash-damaged vehicle came to a stop near mile marker 203. The suspect then jumped from the vehicle and ran into the countryside.
UHP troopers, working with officers from other agencies, set up a wide containment area, while advising motorists near Nephi and Scipio to avoid picking up any hitchhikers they might encounter.
“The party was tracked with K-9s and following foot prints for several miles. This led to a marshy ranch area where the tracks were lost. Star 9 (the DPS helicopter) responded to the area and searched with negative results,” the UHP tweeted.
The suspect was described as a male, with long black hair, wearing gray/black pants without a shirt, the UHP tweeted.
The UHP has yet to release details of the arrest.
There are unconfirmed reports from Juab County that the suspect was in another vehicle at the time he was taken into custody.
Gephardt Daily will update the story as more information becomes available.
