New UHP helicopter helps end high-speed chase


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WEBER COUNTY — Speeds reached 120 mph as state troopers chased a couple of men 90 miles from Summit County to Weber County Monday. The suspects gave up only after they thought they had gotten away, and one of their tires was spiked.

The chase started when a motorist spotted the car the men were driving speeding and driving dangerously on I-80 outside of Coalville, north of Wanship, said Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randy Richie. A state trooper tried to pull the car over in Kimball Junction, but the suspects didn't even slow down. They sped down Parleys Canyon, reaching speeds of 110 mph with a state trooper in pursuit, and headed north on I-15 when they got to Salt Lake County.

When the UHP helicopter joined the chase, police got the upper hand. UHP chief pilot Luke Bowman picked up the chase in Davis County just after noon. "We're trying to watch to make sure they don't throw anything out the window," he said. "We watch their movements, keeping track of where they are going."

The UHP has a new helicopter with more horsepower for better flying at altitude and chasing suspects on the run. The new craft also has better camera equipment, and "moving mapping" that enables the pilot to tell police on the ground exactly where the suspect is by using streets addresses.

As the driver sped along in the emergency lane to pass traffic, he was a safety hazard to other motorists nearby, troopers said. When troopers on the ground lost sight, they called off the chase because that's their safety policy. They called ahead to other officers to prepare to spike the car's tires.

By the time the car reached Weber County, it had already covered more than 50 miles from Coalville, down Parleys Canyon and north on I-15. When the car passed under the 12th Street bridge in Ogden, spikes were waiting and took out the right front tire of the speeding car.

"He lost a wheel. He's in the right-hand emergency lane on the ramp," Bowman said as he was calling the chase from the helicopter. "Our mindset does kind of change," Bowman said after officers had successfully spiked the tire. "We know at any time they can bail out."

The car pulled off I-15 at the 400 North exit in Farr West. As the suspects headed west on Pioneer Road, they passed several more cars as the suspects traveled in the wrong lane, troopers said.

After several more dangerous maneuvers, they pulled to the side of the road. "They're stopping just west of 3650. They're bailing," Bowman radioed from the helicopter.

When the suspects looked up at the helicopter, they realized they were still being tracked from the air, he said. The driver, 32-year-old Rodney R. Milligan of Dallas, decided to get on the ground and wait for police who arrived several minutes later. The passenger, 34-year-old Justin S. St. John of Oklahoma, hid under a flatbed trailer behind a house and waited for police to move in and pull him out.

Bowman credits great coordination of dispatchers and police officers from several different agencies for the success of the operation. "I think they did a phenomenal job," he said.

Milligan faces multiple charges, including felony evading and reckless driving. Both men face a stolen vehicle charge and other charges that include possession of drug paraphernalia and open containers of alcohol.

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Jed Boal

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