GRANTSVILLE, Utah, March 18, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A woman is in custody after police say she stole a vehicle, attempted to hit a pedestrian and then fled from officers at dangerously high speeds.
The chain of events began at about 1:45 p.m. Monday, when the Grantsville City Police Department was notified of a stolen vehicle that tried to hit a pedestrian near the Walmart Distribution Center. The vehicle had left the scene.
It was spotted on Ellerbeck Road near Interstate 80, a news release from Grantsville City PD said.
The female driver couldn’t maintain her lane and was driving recklessly. She fled when officers attempted to stop the vehicle.
Driving wildly at speeds of more than 120 miles an hour, she nearly caused several wrecks, and officers determined that she was “an immediate risk to public safety,” the release states.
With assistance from the Utah Highway Patrol and Tooele County Sheriff’s Office, a Grantsville officer conducted a PIT maneuver to bring the vehicle to a stop before it could get onto I-80 at Exit 84. The vehicle was disabled on the on ramp.
The woman was arrested, and officers checked the vehicle, where they found “multiple drug paraphernalia items and the dog belonging to the stolen vehicle’s owner, which was still in good health,” the release said.
“A drug recognition expert with the Grantsville City Police Department conducted field sobriety tests on the driver and found her to be impaired and under the influence of a controlled substance.”
The woman was transported to the hospital to be checked for any injuries from the crash. After she was cleared, she was taken to the Tooele County Jail, where she has been booked on the following charges:
- Felony theft
- Unlawful control of a motor vehicle
- Failure to stop at the command of a police officer
- Driving under the influence
- Driving on a suspended driver’s license
- Possession of drug paraphernalia
- Aggravated assault
- Failure to stop at a stop sign
According to the news release, an officer sustained minor injuries to his arms when the airbag deployed during the PIT maneuver. He was treated at a nearby hospital and released.
