ICYMI: BYU giving amnesty to reporters of sexual assault; LaVell Edwards Stadium to add Wi-Fi
In case you took a break from the news this weekend, here are the weekend’s top local news stories. Utah County demographic becoming more LDS Utah County is growing in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint population, but Salt Lake County’s membership is declining, The Salt Lake Tribune reported Sunday. In September, members […]
One MVHS victim helped save his fellow students
This story was removed per request of the Alpine School District and Orem Police Department since this investigation is still ongoing and there was some confidential information contained in the article. One important correction is an earlier version of this article says there was a sixth victim. However, the Orem Police Department clarified that there […]
Orem Police unsure if five MVHS stabbing victims will survive
Five teens are hospitalized following a stabbing at Mountain View High School early Tuesday morning. Roughly before 8 a.m. Tuesday morning, the a 16-year-old male stabbed five victims, all male, in the gym area at MVHS, according to Lt. Craig Martinez of the Orem Police Department. The suspect was taken into custody. “He was taken into […]
He brought SWAT to Utah and they killed his son-in-law: The award-winning film directed by BYU professors
Meet William “Dub” Lawrence. In 1974, he became the sheriff in Davis County, and one year later established Utah’s first SWAT team, after seeing how special police forces helped end riots in Los Angeles. Following a standoff on Sept. 22, 2008 in Farmington, Utah, members of the SWAT team Lawrence established fatally shot his son-in-law, Brian Wood. Lawrence does not think […]
Spanish Fork police officer writes book on Baby Lily’s rescue to share hope
Tyler Beddoes didn’t expect a book to come out of the Spanish Fork Police Department’s rescue of 18-month-old Lily Grosebeck, but then the emails came flooding in. “I started getting emails and phone calls from all over saying the story had changed their lives,” Beddoes, one of Lily’s rescuers, said. “That’s when I really stepped back a […]
Officer Elf on the Shelf helps Orem Police Department share crime reports
The Elf on the Shelf has taken on more responsibilities this year outside of watching children and reporting naughty-or-nice status to Santa. This year the Elf on the Shelf has joined the Orem Police Department to share crime reports. The Orem Police Department has been reenacting traffic stops with Elf on the Shelf serving as […]
UV crime: Bus flasher, murder appeal
Bus flasher Lehi police arrested a man on Wednesday after he reportedly flashed school buses. According to police, William Brock Reed flashed one bus twice as well as another bus. Reed was booked into jail on three charges of lewdness with prior offense. He’s being held on $10,000 cash-only bail. Stabbing sentence A man who […]
UV crime: BYU football player charged, robbery
Burglary arrests Bountiful police this week connected four men to more than 100 robberies, including some in Utah County. Investigators connected Joe Hernandez, Jeremy Hernandez, Isaac Hernandez and Thomas Blymiller to 140 home break-ins, according to police. The men reportedly used pillowcases to carry items out of homes. BYU football player charged Sione Takitaki, a […]
UV crime: Guilty plea in rape, new reward for missing woman
SWAT standoff Spanish Fork police arrested a man Thursday morning after a standoff that lasted a few hours. Someone had called 911 earlier to report that the man was drunk and throwing things, then later that he left the house with a gun, according to police. When police arrived they reportedly heard a gunshot come […]
UV crime: Blackmail scam, murder appeal
Firework fire A homemade firework started a fire at the playground at SCERA Park in Orem on July 24, according to police. Police officers on patrol saw the fire and put it out with their extinguishers. The fire did minimal damage. Skype scam Orem police say they have been getting an increasing number of calls […]
UV crime: Scams, stolen cars
Repair scam A group of people, known as travelers or gypsies, have made their way through Orem recently. This group stops people in parking lots and points out body damage on their cars, then offers to fix it for a small fee, police say. Even if the person doesn’t agree to the repair, the group […]
UV crime: Fire on Y Mountain, sentencing for animal cruelty
Y Mountain fire Provo police have ticketed a person with starting a fire on Y Mountain late Tuesday night with a Chinese lantern. Fire crews had the blaze contained and the Y trail was back open by Wednesday night. The person who started the fire will pay at least $500 and may have to pay […]
UV crime: Sentencing for murder of Utah County deputy; BYU meth maker sentenced
Meagan Grunwald sentenced in murder case A judge on Wednesday sentenced convicted killer Meagan Grunwald, 18, to spend at least 30 years in prison for her role in killing Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Cory Wride and shooting Utah County Sheriff’s Deputy Greg Sherwood. A jury convicted Grunwald in May of aggravated murder, attempted murder, robbery […]
UV crime: Plea in Provo High sex abuse case, kidnapping arrest
Guilty plea in sex case Donald Bills, a former Provo High School teacher, pleaded guilty on Thursday to charges that he sexually abused a former student. Bills, 55, pleaded guilty to forcible sodomy, object rape, forcible sex abuse, tampering with a witness and obstruction of justice. He’ll be sentenced on Aug. 17. Stabbing plea Gregory […]
UV crime: Don’t send racy photos to strangers
Racy photos An Orem man filed a report about attempted blackmail on Wednesday. Police say he’d sent racy photos and videos of himself to a woman out of the area via Skype and she now wanted money from him, or would send the photos and videos to his family and friends. Police advise residents not […]
UV crime: Stabbing, attempted rape
Stabbing arrest On Tuesday Springville police arrested Jordan Willey Wood, 21, who’s accused of stabbing a man on Sunday. Wood, also known as Montel Showtime, reportedly stabbed the man at a neighbor’s house. Wood is charged with aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury. Sex assault Provo police arrested Edwin Trejo Avila, 21, on Tuesday […]
UV crime: Lewdness in the park, attempted robbery
Sex assaults Payson police arrested 25-year-old Tyler Langlois on Wednesday on charges that he sexually abused two teenage girls. Langlois was booked into the Utah County Jail on charges of lewdness involving a child; sexual abuse of a child; selling, offering or furnishing alcohol to a minor; and five counts of unlawful sexual conduct with […]
UV crime: Parole hearing set for baby killer, elderly woman stops carjacking
BB vandals Orem police say that vandals on Wednesday shot out dozens of car windows on 800 West, between 400 North and 2000 North. Detectives are investigating. Anyone with information about the cases can call Orem police at (801) 229-7070. Leave the drugs home Orem police arrested a woman on Tuesday after she reportedly was […]
UV crime: Nude photos, attempted homicide
Attempted homicide arrest Lehi police arrested a Provo man on Tuesday after they say he was high on meth, got into a car accident, tried to shoot a man who was going to give him a ride and then tried to take a gun from a police officer after he was arrested. Michael Martinez was […]
UV crime: ATM skimming device, church burglary
ATM skimming Police arrested two people after they were caught on video installing a skimming device on an ATM at a bank in Orem. A similar device was found on an ATM in Sandy. Police say 25-year-old Alexandro Stefan and Ionela Stefan, 20, picked up one of the devices and were arrested. Police are still […]
UV crime: Murder conviction, pot brownies
Murder sentencing Danny Logue was sentenced on Thursday to life in prison without parole for aggravated murder in the death of Andy Purcell in 2011. Prosecutors have said Yuri Lara hired Logue and Darrell Morris to beat Purcell because Lara thought Purcell had given information to police about his drug dealing. Lara and Morris pleaded […]
UV crime: Shootings in Orem and PG, reward for missing woman
Cop-shooting case Testimony ended Thursday in the case of 18-year-old Meagan Grunwald, charged with murder and attempted murder for her role in the 2014 shooting death of Utah County Deputy Cory Wride and the shooting of Utah County Deputy Greg Sherwood. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Jose Angel Garcia-Jauregui shot Wride through a truck window during a […]
UV crime: Trial starts in cop-shooting case, solicitor arrested in Orem
Trial starts in cop-shooting case This week a jury started hearing the case against 18-year-old Meagan Grunwald, charged with murder and attempted murder for her role in the 2014 shooting death of Utah County Deputy Cory Wride and the shooting of Utah County Deputy Greg Sherwood. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Jose Angel Garcia-Jauregui shot Wride through […]
UV crime: Bomb threat in Provo, baby killer sentenced
Arson arrest A man has been charged with arson in a 2013 fire that caused $500,000 in damage to former Payson mayor Gordon Taylor’s house. A judge issued an arrest warrant for Shawn M. Balzly, 44, on Wednesday. Balzly faces charges of aggravated arson and obstructing justice, and the court notes the case involves domestic […]
UV crime: Stolen cars with police chase, murder/suicide
Sex assault trial postponed A judge on Monday postponed the trial for Jayson Johnson, who’s charged with the 2014 sexual assault of a girl who was on her way to Cherry Hill Elementary School in Orem. The trial was set to being on Tuesday, but after hearing arguments in the case on Monday the judge […]
UV crime: Upcoming sex assault trial, spitting drugs
Child rape case The man charged with the 2014 sexual assault of a girl who was on her way to Cherry Hill Elementary School in Orem was in court on Monday for a pretrial conference. Jayson Johnson’s trial is set to begin on April 14, but he’ll be back in court on April 13 for […]
Provo police testing body cams, want license plate reader
Body cameras for police officers have been in the news a lot lately, but Provo wants to make sure it chooses the right system — for the right price — before putting them on every officer. It will be at least mid-2016 before Provo officers all have body cams, and maybe longer. Mayor John Curtis said […]
UV crime: Headstone destruction for Easter resurrection, cold cut caper
Headstone destruction Police arrested a Payson man on Monday after they say he vandalized headstones in Payson’s cemetery. Spencer Robinson, 36, reportedly said he damaged dozens of monuments to help the dead be resurrected on Easter. Authorities said some of the headstones were more than 100 years old. Robinson was booked into the Utah County […]
Orem apartment arsonist still on the loose; $13,500 reward available
Orem has $13,500 waiting to be awarded to someone who provides information about who’s responsible for two fires at construction sites that caused more than $2 million in damage. Fire officials believe the same person or people are responsible for a Dec. 19, 2014 blaze at an apartment complex under construction at State Street and 400 South […]
UV crime: Stolen nose rings, deja vu DUI
Car burglary arrest Provo police arrested 28-year-old Brandon Sargent on Monday after someone reported he was burglarizing vehicles early in the morning near 900 West and 600 South. When police arrived they reportedly found Sargent, who matched the suspect description, wearing a full backpack and slowly riding a bike around parked cars. Police say Sargent […]