ROOSEVELT — Police here arrested one of Utah's Most Wanted after they say he led them on a chase that reached speeds of more than 90 mph.
Roosevelt Police Sgt. Jeremy Chapman said he was working a drug interdiction shift for the Uintah Basin Narcotics Strike Force on Saturday when he spotted an SUV without a front license plate. Chapman said the SUV was making erratic lane changes, prompting him to initiate a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Maverik convenience store at 310 S. 200 East in Roosevelt.
Chapman said as he approached the vehicle the driver, later identified as 30-year-old Nicholas Gene King, sped off into a residential neighborhood. The driver reversed direction and crossed U.S. 40, running a red light, before driving to State Road 121 and heading toward Neola at high speed.
Chapman said he notified a Utah Highway Patrol trooper of the pursuit and the trooper placed tire spikes at the main intersection in Neola.
King ran over the spikes, but was still able to drive until he attempted to make a turn at about 45 mph.
The SUV rolled, according to Chapman, but King and his passenger were able to get out of the vehicle under their own power.
King was taken by ambulance to Uintah Basin Medical Center before being booked into the Duchesne County Jail. He has been charged with failing to stop at the command of police, possession of drug paraphernalia, driving on a revoked license, and no proof of insurance.
King's passenger, who was medically cleared at UBMC, was not arrested.
Chapman said King had six warrants for his arrest, including four no-bail warrants out of Salt Lake and Utah counties. His arrest is the second high-profile capture in the Uinta Basin in since March.
On March 17, members of the U.S. Marshal's Service Joint Criminal Apprehension Team arrested Derek Ryan Mockli, 26, in Vernal as he walked out of a JB's Family Restaurant with his girlfriend. Mockli was one of the Utah Department of Corrections' 15 most-wanted fugitives.
E-mail: geoff@@ubstandard.com