A routine traffic stop led to a high speed chase involving multiple agencies and spanning various counties on Friday morning.
According to Wellington City Police Chief Rory Bradley, officer Sean Sackett attempted to initiate a stop at approximately 150 West Main Street in Wellington when a vehicle was traveling at 64 MPH in a 40-MPH zone. While attempting to make the stop, Sackett noticed that the vehicle did not have a license plate or temporary tags.
At approximately 900 East Main Street, the vehicle appeared to attempt to pull over. Sackett slowed to pull behind the vehicle before the driver once again entered traffic and began traveling toward Miller’s. Near Miller’s, the driver of the vehicle began passing people in an attempt to evade the officer, which is when Sackett determined that the incident had turned into a high speed chase and requested assistance.
Bradley said that the vehicle was traveling, at times, over 100 MPH. While the driver of the vehicle was passing other travelers on the roadway, Bradley said that it was generally safe as the driver would use the passing lanes.
The pursuit continued on Highway 6 before the driver merged onto I-70 toward Moab. At one point, authorities attempted to spike the vehicle, but it was determined to be too much of a risk with other vehicles.
As the driver neared Crescent Junction toward Moab, law enforcement worked to keep them from taking the exit, forcing the driver to continue toward the Colorado state line.
Shorty after, those involved determined that the risk was becoming to high to continue the chase, putting other drivers at risk, and called off the pursuit.
“When police chases enter a rate of speed that is too high and puts other drivers in danger, the risk isn’t worth the reward,” Bradley said. I appreciate the multi-agency support in this incident.”
Local officers passed the incident along to Colorado law enforcement for an attempted resolution.
The chase involved members of the Wellington City Police Department, Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, Emery County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Highway Patrol.