28-year-old Jarvis Charlie Cuch of Fort Duchesne entered a guilty plea to Assault on a Federal Officer on Monday in U.S. District Court. The charge stems from a high speed chase in which Cuch fired a gun out the window at a pursuing officer. The pursuit took place in the early morning hours of December 18th, 2016, after the BIA officer attempted to stop Cuch for speeding on 6500 East in Fort Duchesne. Cuch sped away and fired shots from a handgun. The pursuit continued around Fort Duchesne reaching speeds of 90 mph before heading east on Highway 40 towards Vernal. Uintah County deputies joined the pursuit as the vehicle reached speeds exceeding 100 mph as items were being thrown from the fleeing vehicle. Before reaching Vernal, a Vernal City Police Officer successfully deflated one of the vehicle’s tires by deploying tire spikes. The car continued to flee through Vernal before stopping on a dead end road at 700 South 500 East. Cuch and two juveniles were taken into custody. Cuch was booked into jail on a list of charges including Failure to Stop at the Command of Police Officer, Aggravated Assault on a Peace Officer, Weapon Possession, Obstruction of Justice, DUI, and Child Endangerment, among other offenses. At the time of his arrest, Cuch was listed as a fugitive with the U.S. Marshalls Service. KSL reports that Cuch could spend 12 years in prison for the assault conviction.
