Colorado man uses vehicle to open closed Cove Fort Chevron, goes to jail
A high speed chase, a burglary and multiple felonies.
Two separate events led to the arrest of four individuals last week.
The first incident landed two Salt Lake County residents in the Millard County Jail on Tuesday night.
Casey James Ortez, 35, is charged with second-degree felonies for possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and receive or transfer a stolen vehicle; third-degree felonies possession of a dangerous weapon, assault against a police officer and failure to stop at the command of police, and misdemeanors possession of a controlled substance, reckless endangerment, tampering with evidence and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Ortez’s co-defendant, Brandy Roe, 41, is charged with second-degree felony receive or transfer stolen vehicle; third-degree felonies possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor tampering with evidence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a dangerous weapon.
According to probable cause statements, deputies received a call from a concerned citizen in Delta near 500 W, regarding a suspicious vehicle revving its engine as it drove in front of their residence. Upon arrival of the scene, responding deputies noted two individuals sleeping inside the vehicle, later identified as Ortez and Roe.
“I woke the two subjects up and asked if they were okay, and asked if they would roll the window down,” the report states. “The two subjects refused to roll the window down.”
The deputy then walked behind the vehicle to approach the driver’s side when the truck took off.
The vehicle drove under a structure and traveled east, on the wrong side of the road.
“He (Ortez) traveled across three lanes of traffic and continued eastbound on Main Street,” the report states. The chase continued eastbound.
Along the way, the deputy observed “a bunch of items being dispersed out of the vehicle.” It was later determined to be nails and other sharp objects in an attempt to disable the deputy’s vehicle.
The chase continued along Main Street nearing speeds of 90 miles per hour. Ortez allegedly drove on the middle of the highway several times while traveling northbound, leaving the roadway “to avoid an accident.”
Ortez’s vehicle was spiked near milepost 107 on Highway 50, and again at the junction of SR100 and Highway 50. However, it continued to travel to Holden.
“At this time, the vehicle turned south on 100 E in Holden,” the report states. “At 200 E, the vehicle traveled south and into the Holden Cemetery.”
Another deputy blocked the entrance into the cemetery, trapping Ortez and Roe. In an attempt to escape, Ortez backed his vehicle into a deputy’s truck.
The two were taken into custody without further incident. After a search of the vehicle, several loaded syringes were found in Roe’s purse and in the dashboard. Large bladed knives were also found, along with a shotgun discarded during the chase.
Ortez is currently wanted by the Utah Board of Pardons. Both he and Roe made initial appearances last Wednesday morning.
The second instance occurred in the early hours of Friday morning, causing two Colorado residents to be arrested.
Ortez is being held without bail, Roe on $2,500.
Ralph Thomas Chavez, 57, is charged with third-degree felony burglary and misdemeanor reckless driving, criminal mischief, theft, and manufacture or possession of burglary tools.
His codefendant, Rebecca Ann Ferguson, 48, is facing third-degree felony burglary, second-degree felony criminal mischief and misdemeanor failure to stop at the command of law enforcement.
The two were arrested after a burglary alarm inside the Chevron gas station near Cove Fort. The initial call from an employee warned deputies of a “bald male subject wearing a suit” was in the store, walking around outside of operating hours.
Upon arrival of the scene, deputies noted a bald male, later identified as Chavez, inside the store.
“I also observed a blue Hyundai sedan covered in glass parked in front of the gas station’s door that were bent and broken,” Chavez’s probable report states. Chavez had allegedly helped himself to merchandise, and was eating a bag of chips before being taken into custody.
Chavez allegedly told the deputy during his arrest that “he was trying to turn on the gas pump, and that was why he went into the gas station.”
A crowbar was located near the office door of the business, along with missing items. Keys to the Hyundai were also on Chavez’s person.
Ferguson was the passenger of the vehicle, according to the court document.
Upon arrival, deputies reported Ferguson had left the vehicle, “and started walking up to the building, yelling at (Chavez) to give her the keys.”
Police ordered Ferguson to put her hands in the air and approach them. Ferguson allegedly told them no, stating “I can sit in the car,” and reentered the vehicle, closing the door.
Ferguson continued to ignore commands to exit the vehicle. Once she was removed from the car, Ferguson allegedly pulled away from deputies several times. Both made initial appearance Monday morning.
Chavez is being held on $5,000 bail, Ferguson $1,000.
