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VERNAL — Investigators say they have arrested a man and woman who led a Vernal police officer on a brief chase Wednesday before the man opened fire on the officer.
Kiel Kane Kimball was taken into custody following a second police pursuit Thursday that ended about 10:35 p.m. in the Mile High Mobile Home Park, 50 S. 1500 West, according to Assistant Vernal Police Chief Keith Campbell. Savanah Marie Hackford was arrested Friday at a house south of Vernal.
Detectives believe Kimball and Hackford were together in a pickup truck when a Vernal police officer tried to pull them over about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday for a minor equipment violation. A brief chase ensued but ended near 200 East and 700 South when Kimball crashed the pickup in a weed-filled lot, investigators said.
Kimball and Hackford got out of the disabled truck and Kimball fired at least two shots at the officer, Campbell said. The officer, who was not wounded, fired seven shots in return, but Kimball and Hackford got away, police said.
The truck was reported stolen after the shooting, which took place between two apartment complexes and left a bullet lodged inside the utility closet of one apartment. No one inside the apartment was hurt.
Detectives were still actively looking for Kimball in connection with the shooting investigation Thursday night when a deputy made a U-turn after a dark green Camaro passed his patrol vehicle, Uintah County Sheriff's Cpl. Brian Fletcher said.
The driver of the Camaro responded to the deputy's "normal patrol pattern" by speeding away, Fletcher said. When officers finally got the car stopped, the driver and passenger ran. After a short foot chase and a brief struggle, the passenger was taken into custody.
"He was immediately recognized as Kiel Kimball," Campbell said, adding that Kimball and one of the officers suffered minor injuries during the arrest.
Related:
Officers searching for 2 involved in police shootout in Vernal
Police continue to search for two people who were involved in a brief chase Wednesday morning that ended with shots being fired at an officer. (Photo: Geoff Liesik/KSL-TV)Officers from a number of departments flooded the area in an effort to find the driver of the car, but were unsuccessful despite the use of K-9s. The driver was still being sought Friday, Fletcher said.
A gun was recovered from the Camaro, but investigators aren't saying whether it is the same weapon that was used in Wednesday's shooting.
Following Kimball's arrest, detectives said they were able to identify Hackford as the woman who was riding with Kimball when he allegedly shot at the officer. Hackford, 23, was arrested without incident and booked into the Uintah County Jail on outstanding warrants, Campbell said.
Kimball, 28, was booked for investigation of failure to stop at an officer's command, interfering with an arrest and assault by a prisoner — all alleged offenses related to Thursday night's chase, according to Fletcher. The Uintah County Attorney's Office is still reviewing Wednesday's incident for possible charges.
Court records show Vernal police made contact with Kimball and Hackford on June 30 while investigating a trespassing report. Hackford was not arrested, but Kimball provided the investigating officer with a false name, resisted arrest and assaulted officers, according to charging documents.
A judge issued a no-bail warrant for Kimball on July 20 after he failed to appear for a court hearing in the case, court records show. Kimball also has a prior conviction in Utah for aggravated assault and was extradited to Oregon in 2007 for parole violations, according to court records.
As for Hackford, court records show prior convictions for drug-related charges. She was charged in May with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia after police said they found her with methamphetamine, drug pipes and syringes.
Campbell said the officer involved in Wednesday's shooting is on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure. The shooting is being investigated by detectives from the Duchesne and Uintah county sheriff's offices and the Naples Police Department who are part of a multi-agency task force that was created in the Uintah Basin following a recent change in state law.
