Month: August 2017

The law caught up with two Iowa men while in Sweetwater County thanks to a drug sniffing K9 Deputy. Jara joined the Sweetwater County Sheriff’s Office in 2016 and is now the agency’s senior K9. Jara and her partner Deputy Morrell were on patrol when Jara alerted Deputy Morrell of the presence of drugs during a routine traffic stop on I-80 east of Rock Springs. The vehicle was searched and methamphetamine and marijuana were recovered from the vehicle. 31-year-old Knosavanh Navongsa and Vongsay Maloutaphong, both from Storm Lake, Iowa, were arrested and are now facing felony and misdemeanor drug charges. 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services has announced the partial re-opening of the Jones Hole Fish Hatchery. The hatchery experienced a series of septic system line breaks that resulted in fluid waste discharge into Jones Hole Creek and prompted the recreational closure due to increased levels of coliform bacteria in the water. Fish and Wildlife Service reports they are working with TriCounty Health Department to address the septic system issue that apparently has been an issue over the last 8 months. “New pumps were installed in the spring and contractors scoped the septic lines with a camera to identify the line breaks this summer,” shares Fish and Wildlife Service. “Repair work will begin immediately after a contractor has been selected.” Portable toilets have been placed in the parking area adjacent to the Jones Hole Creek trailhead to limit the impact to visitors. Running water facilities have been closed until all repairs are complete. This measure allows for visitor access to the trailhead for Jones Hole and Island Park trails in Dinosaur National Monument.

The body of 81-year-old Joseph Weyerman was recovered from the High Uinta Wilderness on Sunday afternoon at approximately 3:00pm. According to the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office, the Duchesne County Search and Rescue team assisted by Uintah County, Summit County and the Department of Public Safety were able to recover Mr. Weyerman’s body from the location about 500 feet down the cliff face north of the Reader Lakes. Weyerman had been reported missing on August 17th after he was late returning home from a camping trip. His body was discovered on August 19th by the Department of Public Safety helicopter crew late in the evening at the center of a 1000 foot cliff face. Uintah and Summit County Search and Rescue team members that were trained in high-angle rescues were able to retrieve the body from the difficult location on August 20th. Duchesne County Sheriff Dave Boren thanked everyone who helped in locating and recovering Mr. Weyerman. Our condolences to the family and friends mourning the loss of their loved one. 

Two of the suspects in a Vernal home robbery are in custody after a high speed chase in Colorado. The Uintah County Sheriff’s Office posted pictures taken of two crooks robbing a Vernal home on Monday on social media as well as a picture of the car the crooks had pulled up to the driveway of the home. According to Uintah County Sheriff Vance Norton, the vehicle was spotted Monday night and a high speed chase ensued. The pursuit started in Rio Blanco County at around 11pm at night. The car had been reported stolen out of Colorado’s Jefferson County and Colorado law enforcement started the pursuit. The chase continued through Garfield County and then into Mesa County when the car crashed somewhere south of Douglass Pass. The Mesa County Sheriff’s Officer arrived and took two people into custody. One of the suspects had broke an ankle jumping off a cliff, a second suspect was tased before being arrested. Colorado officials say a third suspect, the driver in the high speed chase, was not found. Uintah County Sheriff’s Office reports that the missing suspect is the male wearing the gray baseball hat with the neck tattoos in the robbery photos. 

The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals out of Denver issued a mandate on Friday reinstating Utah prairie dogs as a threatened species on non-federal lands under the Endangered Species Act. 

At the recommendation of the Planning Commission, Vernal City Council approved Ordinance 2017-11 which updates the code to allow small cellular towers in city limits and updates code on amateur radio towers.