18-year-old arrested, accused of crashing stolen truck into home


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VERNAL — Police arrested an 18-year-old man and are seeking a second man Saturday after a stolen vehicle crashed into a home.

Just after midnight, police were notified that a welding truck had been stolen from a mobile home park at 545 E. 500 North in unincorporated Uintah County, according the Uintah County Sheriff's Office. While deputies were investigating the stolen vehicle, a traffic accident was reported in nearby Vernal.

A truck was reported to have crashed into a building at 601 S. Vernal Ave. and its two occupants fled on foot. Deputies determined that the welding truck that was stolen was the same one that crashed into the building.

Sheriff's deputies and officers from the Vernal and Naples police departments responded to search for the two men who fled the scene. They located Anthony Espinoza Jr., 18, a short time later in the parking lot of an area apartment complex and "hiding under a blanket," according to the sheriff's office.

Espinoza Jr. was arrested. Evidence at the scene indicated he was the one who stole the truck and was driving it at the time of the crash, a news release states.

The man was booked into the Uintah County Jail for investigation of joyriding, failure to stop at the command of a police officer, illegal consumption and disorderly conduct. Espinoza Jr. apparently celebrated his 18th birthday Friday, police said.

Officers were still looking for the other man who had been in the vehicle.


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