Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Feb. 21, 2024 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
Police find gun; Nephi school locked down
A man led Utah Highway Patrol troopers across county lines on a high speed chase last Wednesday, before finally being captured.
Juan Diego Valenzuela-Rincon, 24, was arrested after he led highway patrolmen on a chase across Juab and Millard County lines, exceeding speeds of 100 miles per hour.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in the matter, Valenzuela was initially spotted headed northbound on I-15 near milepost 191 in a yellow Dodge Charger traveling at a high rate of speed.
Using his radar, a trooper was able to determine the vehicle was traveling at 96 miles per hour; the set limit is 80 miles per hour. The trooper activated his overhead lights and pulled into traffic in an attempt to pull the vehicle over, when instead of stopping, the driver accelerated.
The trooper used his radar again and noted the Charger had sped up to 170 miles per hour.
“I was now losing sight of the vehicle as it sped away,” a report on the incident states. “I was maxed out on my patrol car’s speed. I notified my dispatch of the situation and requested help from a nearby Juab County UHP Trooper.”
The Juab trooper set up to wait for the Charger to drive by; when it did, it was registered as driving at 157 miles per hour, the report states.
“The Trooper had activated his police lights as well to attempt to get this suspect vehicle to stop, but the suspect vehicle continued on and traveling at a very high rate of speed. We both lost sight of the suspect vehicle so we slowed our repose and then had dispatch notify the Juab County Sheriff’s Office as well as the Nephi City PD,” the report continues.
Both troopers were later notified by Nephi police that the vehicle had been seen turning around and traveling southbound.
“The Juab Trooper and myself then saw the suspect vehicle in the median attempting to turn around. He then turned (the) wrong way on I-15 traveling north bound in the south bound lanes, nearly crashing into several vehicles,” the reports states.
The reporting trooper said he witnessed the vehicle exit the freeway onto Main Street in Nephi, causing a local elementary school to be placed on lockdown. The vehicle continued to speed up to 110 miles per hour in an active school zone.
Law enforcement lost sight of the vehicle, and the chase was terminated until it was located.
“All units were still attempting to locate the suspect vehicle when one of the area units located the suspect vehicle abandoned on 300 W and about 600 N in Nephi city,” the report states.
A Hispanic male, later identified as Valenzuela-Rincon, was seen fleeing the area on foot.
He was apprehended without further incident and taken into custody.
During a search, a 9-millimeter handgun was allegedly found not far from where the suspect was located. A check of the suspect’s drivers license showed it was suspended. He also had two felony warrants out for his arrest.
The vehicle was also listed as stolen out of Las Vegas, Nevada.
Valenzuela’s pupils were also allegedly constricted and “he seemed to be on the nod,” the troopers reported. Valenzuela refused to comply with chemical testing; a warrant for blood and urine samples was later issued.
Valenzuela was charged with second-degree felony receive or transfer a stolen vehicle; third-degree felony possession of a firearm by a restricted person and failure to stop at the command of police; Class A misdemeanors, including multiple reckless endangerment charges, driving under the influence and misdemeanor reckless driving and driving on a suspended license counts were also levied against the suspect.
Valenzuela made an initial appearance in Fourth District Court last Thursday and is scheduled to reappear Wednesday for a waiver hearing.
He is being held at the Millard County Jail without bail.
