The Uintah County Commission expressed appreciation during Monday’s Commission meeting for the many people and agencies that helped with the recovery effort on the Green River last week. After a month of searching, the bodies of 3 Vernal men who had been missing since May 22nd were recovered from the river about a quarter mile from the Jensen bridge. The truck containing the bodies believed to be Robert Spoon, Jason Tilt and Jacob Tilt was pulled from the river using a crane from JC Enterprises. The county legally had to have a contract in place before the use of the crane could move forward last week but Uintah County Attorney Jonathan Stearmer was able to make that happen quickly. During Monday’s meeting, the contract was ratified showing that the county paid JC Enterprises $100 for the use of their crane and services. This is a donation of up to $5,000 dollars, estimated Commissioner Brad Horrocks. Commissioner Duane Shepherd stated that the efforts that went into the recovery were amazing. He complimented Sheriff Norton on the planning and coordination effort. Commissioner Bill Stringer expressed appreciation for the county roads department who put together the tool that was attached from the crane to the truck so that it could be safely pulled from the river. He also thanked the Bureau of Reclamation who agreed to slow down the releases from Flaming Gorge Dam in order to make the recovery operation less dangerous. “The request was made by law enforcement to them and they said yes, they could slow it down for a 24 hour period,” shared Commissioner Stringer. “This made it safe for divers to get in there and attach [the straps] to the truck.” The Commission agreed that the level of cooperation accomplished during this effort was amazing and they each expressed appreciation on behalf of the county.
