Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
MISSING TEEN HIKER
California teen missing in Utah mountains found alive
MILLCREEK, Utah (AP) — Authorities say a California teenager who went missing while hiking in the snowy Utah mountains has been found alive. The Deseret News reports the 17-year-old was found Friday and flown out of a canyon east of Salt Lake City by helicopter to a hospital. Authorities say he was showing signs of hypothermia and had taken off his shoes and jacket. The teen had been in the mountains alone for nearly 30 hours. He had been visiting a friend and hadn't been seen since Thursday when he took an Uber to the canyon for an all-day hike.
FATAL CRASH-CHARGES DROPPED
DA drops charges in fatal crash, saying wrong person charged
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah prosecutors are dropping charges against a man accused of automobile homicide and other crimes in a Aug. 17 crash that killed a woman and her 16-year-old daughter sleeping in their parked truck in Big Cottonwood Canyon. KSL-TV reports that the Salt Lake City County District Attorney's Office dismissed charges filed in October against Manases Castillo of Layton. The office says in a statement that it believed when it filed the charges that Castillo was responsible for the crash. However, the office says new information now indicates otherwise and that another person will be charged soon. Brandilee Chacon and her daughter Sierra were sleeping when another vehicle went off a road and crashed into their truck.
COLD CASE-ARREST
Police: Man's DNA linked to sexual assaults in Arizona, Utah
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Authorities in Northern Arizona have arrested a man accused of sexual assaults in Arizona and Utah more than 15 years ago. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office said Friday that DNA analysis led detectives to 58-year-old David Louis Slade of Eagar, Arizona. He was arrested on Thursday. Authorities say his DNA matched that of an assailant who sexually assaulted an 18-year-old woman after breaking into her home outside Flagstaff in 2003. DNA from that scene was later matched to DNA from a 2004 sexual assault of a young woman in Cedar City, Utah. It was not clear if Slade had an attorney to comment on his behalf.
HOMELESS SHELTER-FATALITIES
Leaders talk safety after fatal crashes near homeless center
SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah (AP) — Salt Lake City leaders have called for immediate pedestrian safety improvements after three men were fatally struck while trying to cross the street near a new homeless resource center. Police say four crashes including three deaths have occurred in the area since the November opening of the 300-bed men’s resource center in South Salt Lake. Authorities believe all three men were homeless and seeking shelter at the center. City officials say they are working with the state Department of Transportation to reduce speed limits in areas near the shelter and install a crosswalk. A timeline for any improvements is unclear.
DUI LAW-ARRESTS
Drunken driving arrests remain similar despite new Utah law
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Law enforcement officials say Utah's tougher standard for drunken driving did not produce a significant increase in the number of DUI arrests in 2019. The Salt Lake Tribune reported the Utah Highway Patrol estimates the number of drunken driving arrests in 2019 remained about the same as the previous year. The state changed its blood-alcohol standard for legal intoxication from 0.08% to 0.05% beginning Dec. 30, 2018. That is the strictest DUI law in the nation. In the first three months of 2019, there was a 4.5% increase in drunken-driving arrests compared to the same period in 2018.
SKI DEATH-TV PRODUCER SON
Son of television producer dies in ski accident in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The son of television producer Jenji Kohan, who created the series “Örange Is the New Black," died in a New Year's Eve ski accident in Utah. Authorities said Thursday that 20-year-old Charlie Noxon was pronounced dead after hitting a sign Tuesday on an intermediate-level trail at Park City Mountain resort. Authorities say he had experience skiing and was wearing a helmet. The cause of death is under investigation. He was a native of Los Angeles and a junior at Columbia University, studying philosophy, economics and Chinese.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
