Suspect in jail on warrant for allegedly stealing truck while owner followed behind calling 911

Composite image with background stock photo and overlay of Washington City Police vehicle taken in Washington City, Utah, May 11, 2021 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A Hurricane man was arrested in Logan on a felony warrant issued out of Washington County in connection with the theft of a pickup truck reportedly stolen from a job site in Washington City in April. On Monday, the man was transported and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility.

Cache County Sheriff’s Office where the county jail is located, Logan, Utah, date not specified | Photo courtesy of the Cache County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The felony warrant was issued in connection with a case involving the alleged theft of a vehicle. According to court documents, the incident was originally reported April 20 when a man called emergency dispatch reporting his truck had been stolen and that he was in the process of following the suspect in the stolen pickup.

Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News the caller said he was working at a job site when he noticed that his pickup truck “started to drive away.” He said he jumped into another vehicle to follow the suspect and called 911 to report the incident.

The caller updated emergency dispatch with location information as he continued to follow the suspect on Industrial Road until officers responded to the area. The first responding officer spotted the truck and activated his emergency lights and siren.

Williams said the driver pulled off the roadway and stopped the truck, which is when officers officers conducted a felony traffic stop and ordered the suspect, later identified as 26-year-old Stevie Ray Chyne, out of the truck at gunpoint and took him into custody.

2020 file photo for illustrative purposes only of intersection of Industrial Road and Washington Dam Road in Washington City, Utah, May 14, 2020 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

While speaking to officers, Chyne reportedly said he took the truck because he “needed a ride” and knew the vehicle did not belong to him.

Chyne was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail. The following day, he was formally charged with second-degree felony theft of a vehicle.

Months later, the suspect entered into a plea in abeyance agreement on the felony theft case, as well as a misdemeanor case from an incident less than a month after he was arrested for allegedly stealing the truck.

The misdemeanor case stemmed from police being called to St. George Regional Hospital on May 18 after two witnesses reported seeing a man standing in the hospital entrance “completely naked,” according to charging documents filed in support of the arrest.

Officers arrived at the hospital where they encountered Chyne standing near the entrance wearing a black shirt and a pair of jeans that were down just above the knees. According to police, when the suspect lifted his shirt and exposed his genitals, he was taken into custody and transported to jail. He was charged with misdemeanor lewdness the following day and entered into the plea in abeyance four months later.

On Dec. 8, a no-bail warrant was issued for Chyne’s arrest, and five days later he was taken into custody by police in Logan and booked into Cache County Jail. He was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility on Monday and was booked into jail shortly after 12:30 p.m.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained. 

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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