This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Idaho authorities confirmed Thursday that a suspected car thief who gave Salt Lake City-area police the slip earlier this month had been arrested in a Boise motel.
Boise police spokeswoman Lynn Hightower said the 31-year-old Bountiful man was to appear in Ada County's 4th District Court on Thursday afternoon. He faces Idaho charges ranging from felony grand thief and possession of a controlled substance, to misdemeanor counts of possession an unlicensed concealed weapon and providing false information to police.
The suspect reportedly came to the attention of Boise police Wednesday night following a report that a stolen credit card had been used at the motel. He was identified as the user of the card and arrested, and also found to have been driving a stolen car and in possession of firearm.
On Nov. 6, the man allegedly stole two vehicles — a pickup truck that he crashed and a construction truck he then found nearby with the keys inside — on a chase throughout West Valley City and southwest Salt Lake City. He ditched the second vehicle and ran into a Home Depot store at 300 West and 2100 South, but a subsequent store evacuation and manhunt failed to locate him.
Charlie Roberts, a spokesman with the Utah Division of Motor Vehicles, said the chase begun when his agency tried to arrest the suspect in West Valley City, where he had been spotted with a stolen truck.
The suspect also was wanted for allegedly trying to run down two police officers earlier, Roberts said.
Utah prosecutors will request extradition of the suspect from Idaho authorities.
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