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PROVO — A man who allegedly told police he was "very stressed" and didn't feel like stopping for deputies is facing criminal charges for fleeing while going over 120 mph on the freeway, according to court documents.
On Saturday, a 25-year-old man was traveling from Hilldale to Salt Lake City to visit a family member when he passed a Utah County Sheriff's deputy on I-15, according to charging documents.
"The deputy, in a marked patrol, pulled behind the vehicle and paced the vehicle around 100-105 mph," the charges state.
After recording the 2014 Chevy Impala's license plate number, the deputy turned on his emergency lights to pull the vehicle over.
"The vehicle maintained its speed for a moment then accelerated to over 120 mph while changing lanes in an attempt to flee from the deputy. The deputy followed the vehicle for about a mile when the vehicle pulled far enough away from the deputy so that the deputy could no longer see it. At this point, the deputy stopped his pursuit," according to the charges.
Deputies got the name of the registered owner and learned he had a residence in Vineyard. The next day, as the man was pulling into a parking lot, deputies blocked the car and questioned the driver about the night before, the charges state.
The man at first claimed his friend was driving. But when deputies asked for the name and number of the alleged friend, the man admitted he was driving.
"(He) said he was just very stressed out because he was having issues with his girlfriend and didn't want to stop," according to the charges.
He was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court with failing to stop for an officer, a third-degree felony; and speeding, an infraction. It was not immediately known why the driver was not charged with reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor. Under Utah law, anyone driving over 105 mph can be charged with reckless driving.
