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: Car burglary hot spots, back-to-school warning
Bank robbery Payson police are looking for the man who robbed the Central Bank in Payson on Aug. 14. The man walked into the bank at 11:40 a.m. carrying what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun. He asked for money, got it and then drove away in a 1994 red Chevrolet S10 blazer. The man […]
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 […]
Orem self-defense class teaches women confidence to defend themselves
Karen Knudsen first signed up for a self-defense class at the suggestion of her current husband, who had noticed she still carried a lot of fear from a past abusive marriage. “I went to the first class and felt really safe there,” she said. … “For me it was so empowering because now I walk […]
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: 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 […]
Utah County Sheriff’s Office issues warning: Give alcohol to a minor, go to jail
If you give alcohol to a minor, you’re probably going to jail. That’s the message the Utah County Sheriff’s Office and anti-underage drinking advocates are spreading this week as school gets out and people are planning graduation parties. Under Utah law, giving alcohol to someone who you know is a minor is a Class A […]
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 […]
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 […]
UV crime: Internet enticement of a minor, threats against police
Arrest in attempted sex abuse Utah County officers on Wednesday arrested a 31-year-old man accused of trying to entice who he thought was a 13-year-old girl into a sexual relationship. According to police, for nearly seven months Ryan Chad Sherry of Spanish Fork sought out a 13-year-old girl online and described what he wanted to […]
UV crime: Murder-suicide in Orem, police shooting in Provo
Murder-suicide Orem police say 24-year-old Riley Mecham shot and killed his grandmother’s live-in boyfriend, 64-year-old Anthony Sorenson, early Wednesday morning before killing himself. The two men lived with Mecham’s grandmother and mother and had reportedly had an argument before the shooting. Police shooting case A judge ruled on motions this week in the case of […]
Investigators still hunting for Orem arsonist
It’s been a week since Orem officials announced a $12,500 reward for the arrest of whoever is responsible for two arsons in the city, but so far there aren’t any new developments in the case. “We’ve received dozens of phone calls,” said Orem Fire Battalion Chief Ryan Peterson. “We still have multiple investigators working […]
UV crime: Guilty plea in dead babies case, $12,500 reward in arsons
Guilty plea in dead babies case Megan Huntsman, a former Pleasant Grove resident, pleaded guilty on Thursday to killing her six babies between 1996 and 2006. She choked or strangled all of the babies after they were born and hid their bodies in her garage. Her estranged husband discovered one of the bodies last year […]
UV crime: Arson in Orem, heroin in Alpine
Orem arson Orem fire investigators have determined that a fire early Thursday morning at an apartment construction project was arson. The fire caused more than $1 million to Sun Canyon Villas, which is just south of Midtown 360 between State Street and Orem Boulevard. Firefighters discovered the fire after putting out a blaze in a […]
UV crime: Deal in BYU groper case, stabbing in Provo
BYU groper plea The former BYU student accused of groping women around campus entered into a diversion agreement with prosecutors this week. Nathan Fletcher agreed to an 18-month agreement, during which he must complete a psychosexual evaluation, a polygraph and complete all counseling that the psychosexual evaluation recommends. If he completes all the terms, the […]
UV crime: Stolen car, stolen guns
Police chase Police arrested a man on Wednesday after he reportedly led them on a chase in a stolen Prius, then later arrested his girlfriend. Officers used spikes on the road to stop the car, but the driver — Jonathan Sells — reportedly ran. Officers were able to catch him. They reportedly found items stolen in […]
UV crime: Police arrest one of Utah County’s most-wanted fugitives
Most-wanted arrest Around 8 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, a Utah County Sheriff’s deputy stopped and arrested Eagle Mountain resident Leon I. Vasquez, one of the county’s most-wanted fugitives. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Vasquez had recently used heroin and had that drug and drug paraphernalia. His driver’s license had been revoked for a previous […]
UV crime: Top 5 crimes of 2014
Utah Valley is known for its close-knit communities and low crime rates, but that doesn’t mean there’s no crime, and 2014 saw its fair share. From a shooting spree to dead babies, 2014 was a busy year for police. Dead babies found A former Pleasant Grove resident this year was accused of a gruesome crime […]
UV crime: Robbery with a golf club, sex abuse
Golf club robbery Early Tuesday morning, a man walked into the 7-Eleven at 1801 S. State St. in Provo and picked up a sandwich and two bags of chips. When the clerk asked if he was going to pay, the man smashed displays next to the cash register with a golf club and said “Do […]
UV crime: Mother sent to jail, foot nearly severed in crash
Sentencing in baby’s death Former Provo resident Brianna Brown was sentenced to 90 days in jail and three years of probation on Tuesday for child endangerment related to the November 2012 death of her 3-month-old son, Paxton. In October, Brown pleaded guilty to three charges of child endangerment. Joshua Jay Harding, who was Brown’s boyfriend […]
UV crime: Bank robbery, Grinch season, traffic strip
UCCU robbery A little after 9 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Sparks reportedly walked into the UCCU at 1501 S. 40 East in Provo, handed a teller a note that said, “This is a robbery,” and demanded cash. Police say he got his money and walked out the main doors. Officers got surveillance footage from the credit […]
UV crime: Murder conviction, trailer park meth
Hearing set in dead babies case A judge on Monday set a preliminary hearing for Megan Huntsman, a former Pleasant Grove resident accused of giving birth to six babies and then killing them and hiding their bodies in her garage. The hearing, in which a judge will decide if there’s enough evidence for the case […]