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ST. GEORGE — A man wanted in connection with an alleged sex offense with a minor in Hurricane fled from police Friday, and shortly after entering Arizona the man’s vehicle drove off a cliff and plunged hundreds of feet before crashing into the Virgin River.
The incident began at 8 a.m. when Hurricane police officers responded to a report of a sexual offense involving a man and a juvenile female, Hurricane police officer Ken Thompson said in a statement released Friday evening.
Officers were told the suspect fled the area shortly before their arrival. An “attempt to locate” alert was broadcast to officers in the area to be on the lookout for a silver Honda Accord that was spotted several hours later heading south on I-15. When the officer attempted to stop the car, the driver fled and officers pursued.
The chase continued for several miles reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph until the car crossed into Arizona and the pursuit was terminated, Thompson said.
Meanwhile, Arizona Department of Public Safety troopers, who also received the alert, were making preparations at the bottom of the Virgin River Gorge, Arizona Department of Public Safety trooper Tom Callister said.
“Then we got the call from St. George police saying the car was in Arizona, and Utah terminated the pursuit, but we never spotted the car,” he said.
Read more on St. George News.
