A man was arrested on multiple felony charges of road rage after a terrifying instance in which he shot at travelers on Highway 40 east of the Vernal area. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, officers responded to a call that a firearm had been discharged on Highway 40 near milepost 160 just after noon on April 20th. The caller stated that a man traveling in a silver Chevy truck with a Wyoming license plate had just shot multiple rounds at them with what appeared to be a pistol. Officers met the victims at the Utah Welcome Center in Jensen and the victims said that as they traveled eastbound after the Green River bridge in Jensen they were in the process of passing a van when the silver truck began tailgating them before traveling into the oncoming westbound lane to pass. Once the truck passed, it allegedly stopped suddenly in front of them and pulled over to the right shoulder of the road. They pulled over in front of the truck to talk to the driver about the incident when the driver of the truck stepped out of his vehicle, produced a firearm, and fired 3 to 4 rounds in their direction all before any words were exchanged. The victims took cover and began yelling as the driver of the truck took off heading eastbound on Highway 40. They followed the suspect as they called 9-1-1 and got a picture of the license plate. Dispatch told them to turn around and head back toward Vernal which they did and they met officers at the Utah Welcome Center. Using the license plate number, law enforcement was able to find a telephone number for the company the truck was registered to. When they called the number the man who answered said that he was the individual involved in the incident. He agreed to turn around and meet officers at the Utah Welcome Center in Jensen. He had no weapon on his person when he arrived and he agreed to speak with the officers, stating that he was getting ready to pass when the car moved over and began to pass. He then passed them in the oncoming lane before hitting his brakes. He said that they motioned for him to pull over and words were exchanged before he got back in his truck and left. No firearm was found in the truck though there was plenty of time to conceal or remove the evidence since the incident occured. Troopers were able to find casings from a firearm at the scene. 48-year-old Michael Earl Roloff was arrested for 6 road rage related offenses, including Felony Road Rage Aggravated Assault, Felony Discharge of a Firearm in the Direction of a Person, and Reckless Driving. It was also found that Roloff’s license had expired.
