WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah, Sept. 24, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A California parolee allegedly fled police in a stolen vehicle Saturday evening, leading officers on a high speed chase in a pickup truck later found to contain illegal drugs.
An officer of the Washington City Police Department was stationary on Interstate 15, near mile marker 8, when a white Ford pickup passed his location. An automated license plane reader in the police vehicle indicated the Ford pickup was listed as stolen out of California.
The officer pulled onto the highway and spotted the truck at mile marker 10, stopped at a traffic light.
“As the traffic light turned green the vehicle then proceeded to travel South on Green Springs Drive,” say arrest documents for the pickup driver, 42-year-old Jonathan Valdivia Garcia, Jr.
The pickup turned into a Petco parking lot, and the officer activated his emergency lights and siren.
The chase
“I observed the driver … begin to throw his hands in the air and pull over. As I attempted to exit my patrol vehicle Jonathan then placed his left hand out the driver’s window and flipped me off using his middle finger. Jonathan then began to travel at a high rate of speed through the parking lot and entered onto Telegraph Street and began traveling East at a high rate of speed.
“Due to Jonathan traveling at a high rate of speed and not having any concerns for the innocent motoring public I made the decision to discontinue the pursuit. I then began to travel behind the suspect vehicle without lights and sirens from a far distance.”
The driver ran two traffic lights before leaving the officer’s sight, the probable cause statement says. Another Washington City Police officer spotted the truck at 200 E. Telegraph St., “and observed as he used the vehicle to travel through a fence at approximately 550 North 200 East. Once Jonathan destroyed the fence, he then entered onto I-15 and began to travel North on I-15 at approximately mile marker 11.”
Valdivia Garcia was then seen by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper leaving I-15 at exit 13 and began traveling South on I-15, the statement says. He was then seen leaving I-15 once again at mile marker 10 southbound, his arrest documents say.
“Jonathan was then tracked using (a) street camera by dispatch and was last seen in the area of Buena Vista and Cactus Lane. After a few moments, Sgt. Bartruff with WCPD was able to relocate the suspect vehicle and Utah Highway Patrol began a pursuit with the
suspect vehicle at the location of I-15 mile marker 11 northbound.
The capture
“The suspect vehicle continued North on I-15 until mile marker 16.5. The suspect vehicle attempted to use an emergency turnaround dirt road and became stuck in the dirt. A UHP trooper then used his patrol vehicle push bumper to disable the suspect vehicle from evading any further.”
The driver was ordered to exit the vehicle.
“Jonathan was not following law enforcement commands and refused to exit the vehicle for over 10 minutes,” arrest documents say. “Jonathan ultimately exited the vehicle on his own and was safely taken into custody without incident.”
Post Miranda, “Jonathan stated he had purchased the vehicle from a male that goes by the name ‘Tridan’ but Jonathan did not know his full name. Jonathan stated he originally agreed to purchase the vehicle for $50,000, but instead only paid $10,000. I asked Jonathan if it seemed odd that he was (able to) purchase a vehicle that is worth over $60,000 for $10,000, and Jonathan stated yes.
“I then asked Jonathan why he fled from multiple Officers in the vehicle, and he stated he was scared. Jonathan also informed me he was currently on parole in California, but I was unable to locate his Parole Officer.”
An inventory of the stolen truck turned up a pipe with apparent methamphetamine, a clear plastic bag containing a crystal-like substance consistent with meth, and a container with a tar-like substance consistent with heroin, the document says.
Valdivia Garcia was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility for investigation of:
- Receive or transfer stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony
- Fail to stop or respond at command of police, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of possession of controlled substance schedule I/II analog, a class A misdemeanor
- Reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
- Driving on suspended/revoked license for qualifying circumstances, a class B misdemeanor
- Failure to comply with duties at vehicle accident accident/property damage, a class C misdemeanor
He was ordered held without bail.
