Man crashes minivan into flagpole outside Uintah County Library


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VERNAL — Police are trying to determine what caused a man to drive onto the plaza in front of the Uintah County Library and crash into a flagpole Tuesday.

The crash happened about 5:45 p.m. when the green minivan the man was driving jumped the curb onto the plaza, went through a landscaped area, traveled about 20 feet and collided with one of three flagpoles in front of the library, 204 E. 100 North.

The impact destroyed the front of the van and toppled the flagpole, which missed hitting the library's glass front by less than 10 feet.

After the crash, the man got out of the van and walked west. Witnesses, including Uintah County Library Director Sam Passey, followed the man in an attempt to get him to sit down and wait for an ambulance.

At one point the man became aggressive toward Passey, advancing on him before a woman who appeared to know the man called for him to stop. The man walked away from Passey but continued heading west before sitting down in the bushes outside Kingsbury Community Church, 65 E. 100 North.

Police and ambulance crews converged on the church, where officers and emergency medical technicians tried to talk with the man. When the man started to turn on Passey again, police put the man in handcuffs, according to officers.

The man, whose name has not been released, was taken to Ashley Regional Medical Center for an evaluation, officers said. No one was injured by the falling flagpole.

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Geoff Liesik

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