By Neal Legler
HEBER - A woman is seriously injured, and a man is in custody after a rollover accident Thursday morning, June 5, brought a high-speed car chase to an abrupt end.
According to a news release from the Wasatch County Sheriff''s Office, the chase began at 8:15 a.m. when Wasatch County Deputy Jason Bateman attempted to stop a speeding motorist on Highway 40 in Daniels Canyon. The driver of the vehicle refused to pull over and increased speed instead.
A woman who has not yet been identified drove the vehicle, a Dodge truck stolen from the Ogden area, said Ken Von Wagoner, Wasatch County sheriff. A male passenger accompanied her.
The fleeing vehicle reached speeds between 100 and 120 mph, Wagoner said.
According to the news release, the deputy in pursuit notified Wasatch County Dispatch and received backup assistance from Utah Highway Patrol, the Heber City police and the sheriff''s office.
The deputy tried to throw spikes in the vehicle''s path to stop it but was unable to do so before reaching Heber City, Wagoner said. The stolen vehicle arrived in Heber from the south, and the driver lost control and rolled the vehicle at the intersection of Highway 40 and Highway 189.
Wagoner said the vehicle hit a utility pole and a fire hydrant as it rolled.
He said the officers chasing the vehicle did not see the accident happen because they had backed off their pursuit.
'The male passenger has been booked into the Wasatch County jail,' he said. 'The female that was operating the vehicle was transported by a medical helicopter and is in serious condition, as far as we know.'
According to the news release, the man in the vehicle received minor injuries.
A number of shoes that had been thrown from the truck as it rolled lay strewn around the crash site. Wagoner said the sheriff''s office is looking into whether the goods in the truck were stolen.
Wagoner said the male passenger was interviewed briefly before being taken to the hospital. The man said the goods were already in the truck when he entered the vehicle with the woman.
According to the news release, the Utah Highway Patrol is investigating the accident, and Ogden authorities are investigating the stolen truck case. Criminal charges on the man and woman are pending at this time.
'Fortunately, no other people were involved or hurt,' Wagoner said.