Man caught after eluding police

on stolen four wheeler

 

By Rhett Wilkinson

Staff writer

9-17-2020

 

A Mt. Pleasant man was charged with two felonies and booked in jail after allegedly stealing a four-wheeler and leading police on a chase on surface streets, across several dirt roads, and eventually onto S.R. 116 before giving in to pepper spray in his face.

Ty Tucker, 23, was charged on Sept. 7 with receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and failure to respond to officers’ signal to stop, second- and third-degree felonies, respectively. He was booked into the Sanpete County Jail, according to a probable cause statement.

Tucker was on probation, stated Sanpete County Sheriff’s deputy Kallen Cox in court records.

Cox was told that Tucker was driving the four-wheeler westbound on 700 South in Mt. Pleasant.

“I attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle by activating my red and blue lights as well as my siren,” Cox wrote. “However, Ty failed to stop.”

Tucker drove away from Cox at about 40 miles per hour.

“I pursued Ty on surface streets, across several dirt roads, and eventually onto S.R. 116,” Cox said.

While Tucker was going westbound on S.R. 116, Cox pulled alongside him with his lights and siren on, rolled his window down, and motioned for Tucker to stop the four-wheeler.

Tucker acknowledged Cox before slowing the ATV and making a U-turn to proceed with fleeing eastbound on S.R. 116.

Cox’s partner, who was behind him during the pursuit, stopped in the eastbound lane with his lights on. He got out of his car in an effort to stop Tucker.

“Ty continued to drive his ATV towards my partner and a less lethal oleoresin capsicum launcher [pepper spray] was used against Ty,” Cox said.

Tucker “swerved” around Cox’s partner and kept going east on S.R. 116, Cox said.

“At this point, it became apparent that the OC had an effect on Ty and he began to pull over [north of Mt. Pleasant],” Cox said. “Ty was taken into custody without further incident.”

Tucker was arrested and booked Sept. 7 in the Sanpete County jail.

Mt. Pleasant Police officer Nathan Taylor charged Tucker with receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle after a witness told Taylor that “Ty Tucker was the one that came to the property on the stolen four-wheeler.”

Alvey said that on the evening of Sunday, Sept. 6, Tucker was on the property and tried to leave with the four-wheeler.

“Derek stated he stopped him and told he was returning the four-wheeler,” wrote Taylor, who added that he chose to detain Derek in handcuffs in the back of his patrol vehicle until the information could be verified.

Taylor and Cox went to that location, with Taylor contacting Ted and Joy Olsen, explaining that the officers were looking for Tucker “in association to a stolen-four wheeler.”

Ted provided text messages he got from a witness alerting him that officers were seeking Tucker regarding the four-wheeler after Taylor had told the witness not to impede with his investigation.

Tucker doesn’t have the option of bail unless Sixth Judicial District Judge Wallace Lee allows it.

Lee set a preliminary hearing on Sept. 9 for 9 a.m. Sept. 28. He did that after appointing Richard Gale as Tucker’s attorney, as Tucker was indigent.

The charges come after Tucker previously stole thousands of dollars, according to Sanpete County Detective Derick Taysom.

The four-wheeler is a 2003 Yamaha 660 Raptor belonging to a Dalton Christensen.