VERNAL, Utah, Nov. 22, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Two teenage boys have been taken into custody after landing a small plane they’re alleged to have stolen from a private airstrip in Uintah County.
Investigators with the Uintah County Sheriff’s Office say the teens, ages 14 and 15, left a group home from along the Wasatch Front earlier in the week and made their way to eastern Utah where they had been staying with friends near the town of Jensen.
According to a statement released by the UCSO, the teens drove a tractor to a private airstrip in Jensen where they stole a fixed-wing, single engine Cessna aircraft.
The teens were able to get the plane off the ground and were seen flying very low along U-S 40 near Gusher, Utah about 32 miles west of Jensen, the statement says.
The teens ultimately flew to Vernal where they landed at the airport without incident.
The juveniles were both taken into custody and are being held at the Split Mountain Youth Detention Center in Vernal.
The UCSO statement said the teens had considered flying to the Wasatch Front, but changed their minds.
How they learned to fly has yet to be determined.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
Wait…WHAT?? I realize all the things that could have happened. Yes someone could have been hurt or worse and it’s wrong to steal, but C’MON!!! If that’s not one helluva story I don’t know what is. One day someone will be telling their grandchildren this bit of family history.