By Travis Uresk
12/6/23
Maeser, Ut. - On 11/23/23, Uintah County Deputies were dispatched to a residence at 3560 W 1500 N, where the homeowner reported they watched a male walk up to their vehicle on their security cameras, get in, and then drive it away.
The deputies were informed that the vehicle was last seen headed North on 3500 West. When Deputy Russell got to the residence, he spoke with the complainants, who were able to show him video footage from the cameras.
The security camera showed a dark-colored passenger car stop in front of the driveway; a male exited the car on the passenger side and walked up the driveway toward the complainant's vehicle. The male intruder wore a hoodie, blue jeans, and a ball cap.
The male opens the driver's door to the complainant's vehicle and then enters the vehicle. The vehicle's headlights then turn on, and the male is able to start the vehicle. The owners said they had left the keys in their car but were just about to go out and lock it when they saw the man take it.
When other deputies arrived, they spread out in the area. They were told the vehicle was last seen on 3500 West, going North toward the mountains. Deputy Helms located the car in the area of 2000 North 3500 West, traveling at a high rate of speed.
Deputy Helms attempted to make a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle after it sped passed his location. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop and led the deputy on a short pursuit for about two miles.
The vehicle was seen going South on 3500 West at a speed over 60 mph. Deputy Helms chased after the stolen car through the intersection of 3500 West 500 North at approximately 50 mph when the deputy decided to terminate the pursuit.
Deputy Russell was not far behind Deputy Helms when Helms turned East on 500 North to attempt to relocate the stolen car at another intersection. As Deputy Russell, the corner of 500 South and 3500 West, he found a vehicle in the backyard of a residence about 60 feet off the road with a large amount of dust and dirt in the air.
As Russell approached the residence, he saw a male near the vehicle. Deputy Russel exited his patrol vehicle and approached the male. The male stated that he was the owner of the property, and he heard the crash and then saw what he believed to be a larger male running East on 500 South right in front of his house.
Deputy Pratt was in the 3150 West 500 South area when he found a male lying in the weeds near the road. The male was ordered out of the ditch and taken into custody. The male matched the description on the victim's security cameras.
The deputies were able to locate a footprint in the dirt on the property that the male had crashed into and were able to match the print in the dirt to the same print as the shoe that the male was wearing. The male was cleared by paramedics on scene, and then he was taken to the Uintah County Jail.
Later, Deputy Russell met with the male, who was identified as 42-year-old Charles Uriah Wright, who refused to participate in the SFST. Russel read Charles the DUI admonition and asked him if he would be willing to consent to a blood draw to test his alcohol level, and he stated that he would. The Jail nurse administered the DUI blood draw kit at 2:28 am.
Charles was booked into Uintah County Jail on the charges of F2 Theft of an automobile for stealing the vehicle from the residence, F3 Failure to stop at command of LE for the failure to stop when Deputy Helms initiated a traffic stop, MA DUI because he was intoxicated to a level that he was unsafe to operate a motor vehicle and Fail to comply with duties at vehicle accident for leaving the scene of the accident when he crashed the car.
During the investigation into this matter, it was learned that Charles is on Felony Probation out of Salt Lake. After running a criminal history check, Charles has prior Felony burglary and theft charges. Charles is not from this area, and it could be presumed that he could be a flight risk if he is not held without bail on these charges.
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