Washington County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Pete Kuhlmann was riding his bicycle through Ivins when he spotted a jail inmate who escaped last month.
The chance encounter Monday turned into a wild chase, involving two helicopters and several law enforcement agencies.Kuhlmann says he spotted James Jorgensen, 17, driving by in a Ford Bronco. The St. George man was wanted for escaping from Washington County Jail March 28.
"I looked at the driver and thought, Hey, that's him," Kuhl-mann said.
The chief deputy then radioed the sheriff's office, and an Ivins town marshal and sheriff's deputy met him in Ivins, located about six miles northwest of St. George in southern Utah.
Twenty minutes later, Jorgensen was spotted again, driving out of Ivins with three friends. Deputies stopped the Bronco near Swiss Village in Santa Clara, about two miles away.
As they approached the car, Jorgensen drove off, and a chase began.
A few minutes later, the vehicle slowed and the three passengers jumped out, Kuhlmann said. One of them, Robert Montgomery, 18, Ivins, was charged with obstruction of justice and conspiracy to commit evading.
The pursuit then moved onto dirt roads southwest of Santa Clara. At that point, Kuhlmann said, Steve Gilbert, a local contractor, was called to assist in the chase with his helicopter.
Eventually, Jorgensen drove his vehicle off the road and into a wash where he continued driving until two tires blew out, Kuhlmann said. He abandoned the Bronco and hid in some rocks.
Gilbert landed the helicopter to allow the two deputies riding with him to apprehend Jorgensen.
Jorgensen had been certified as an adult and was serving 18 months for attempted aggravated assault before he escaped from a work-release trailer used when the jail is overcrowded.
Because of previous good behavior, Jorgensen had earned a job as an assistant cook and the privilege of living in the trailer.
He was returned to the Washington County Jail, where he was being held on $15,000 bond. Montgomery was released on $2,350 bond.