A fire that destroyed the clubhouse at the Big Shot Ranch on Higley Road on March 19 is being investigated as an act of arson, according to a search warrant unsealed over the weekend. 

The Tooele County Sheriff’s Office submitted the search warrant for any video images from a surveillance camera at the shooting range from a DVR recovered at the site, the warrant said. 

“During the investigation, it was learned that the fire was intentionally started,” the warrant said. “The fire was caught on a security camera that was above the building.” 

According to the warrant, the DVR was recovered from a vault in a cement building near the clubhouse and could contain images of the suspect or suspects who started the fire. 

Firefighters from North Tooele Fire District and Grantsville Fire Department were dispatched to the March 19 fire at 4:27 a.m. after the owner, who was out of town, contacted dispatch about a fire alarm, according to NTFD public information officer Ryan Willden. The owner was contacted by the alarm company then notified dispatch. 

The clubhouse structure near the shooting range was fully engulfed when firefighters arrived on scene, according to Willden. Due to guns and ammunition stored in the building, fire teams were unable to attack the fire from inside the building, he said. 

The building was unoccupied and a total loss, which Willden estimated as $350,000 to $400,000 in value. It took about 20 firefighters nearly three hours to knock down the fire, with six engines and various support equipment, including water tenders, on scene.

A Tooele man is facing felony attempted murder charges after he allegedly shot at another man’s home in a dispute. 

Jordan Bernard Lucas, 24, is charged with first-degree felony attempted murder, third-degree felony aggravated assault, two counts of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm, and misdemeanor criminal mischief. 

Tooele City police were dispatched to the area of Mobile Avenue and Coleman Street in response to several reports of shots fired in the area around 3:10 a.m. on March 30, according to a probable cause statement. When officers arrived on scene, they were unable to locate anyone in the area involved in the shooting. 

During the investigation, a homeowner on South Coleman Street told officers he was awakened by a noise that sounded like someone knocking on his window, the statement said. The following afternoon, investigators found two bullets that struck the northwest eave and a northeast window of the home. 

Police received information from a “credible anonymous source” on April 6 who said they had spoken with Lucas about the shooting that occurred on March 30, the statement said. The source also told investigators that Lucas said he shot at a victim following an altercation between them over their relationship with a woman. 

On April 18, police located the victim, who said Lucas had shot at him and that it was over a woman, according to the probable cause statement. The victim declined an offer for a formal interview with police, as he said he wouldn’t lie about what happened but didn’t want to talk any further about it. 

A search warrant was then issued for Lucas at a residence on Linden Street, the statement said. Lucas was located and transported to the Tooele City Police Department to be interviewed. 

Lucas is scheduled to make his initial appear in 3rd District Court on April 30 at 10:30 a.m. before Judge Matthew Bates. 

A Cedar Fort man died in a single-vehicle accident on state Route 73 early Tuesday morning in Tooele County, according to a release from Utah Highway Patrol. 

A 1995 Honda Accord, driven by Joshua Anderson, 36, was traveling westbound at a high rate of speed near mile post 9 on SR-73 at 4:56 a.m., according to UHP. The driver failed to navigate a slight curve in the roadway, crossing into the eastbound lane and off the shoulder of the road. 

Once the car left the road, it struck a culvert and rolled multiple times, according to UHP. The Accord came to rest on its roof, facing southeast. 

Anderson was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle, suffering fatal injuries, the release said.

The Stansbury Service Agency board reviewed a possible solution to lake weeds and algae, as well as thin grass, during its meeting Wednesday evening. 

A presentation was given by Michael Hughes of PureAg, a company that uses bacteria and fungi to improve soil ecology or mediate water problems. Hughes said he has worked with Stansbury Park Improvement District manager Brett Palmer in the past and they discussed issues with Stansbury Lake and the golf course ponds. 

Hughes said the biological treatment could also improve the turf grass at Stansbury Park’s golf course or the service agency’s parks and greenbelts. For the grass, treatments would cost about $12 per acre, according to Hughes. 

“This isn’t something that you put on and hope it works, it’s something you put on and you can see it works,” he said. 

Hughes said the algae problems in the golf course ponds and weed problems in the lake are exacerbated by the nitrogen, phosphorous and other chemicals found in fertilizer when it runs off into the water.

Trustee Mike Johnson asked if the grass treatment could be used on the service agency’s parks and greenspace, which Hughes said would be possible. He said the treatment would have to be applied multiple times over the course of the summer. 

The bacteria for the treatment are grown in large vats, then applied directly to water in lakes or ponds, or applied to the grass via the existing sprinkler systems, according to Hughes. A 2,000 gallon tank of the biological material would be installed at a SPID pumphouse.

Trustee Glenn Oscarson asked about the total cost of the project and Hughes projected it would cost $10,000 to $11,000 to treat the golf course multiple times over the summer. The board discussed ways to test the treatment and Hughes suggested isolating a zone of sprinklers on a greenbelt area to see results. 

Board chairman Neil Smart suggested the service agency review the possible treatments with Palmer before making any commitment for full-scale use on the service agency’s grass or lakes. 

A dozen members of the Tooele High School baseball team are being investigated for possible charges of lewdness, according to the Tooele City Police Department. The Tooele County Attorney’s Office is screening charges for juvenile court. 

Tooele City police were contacted by the Tooele County School District after a report of inappropriate exposure and touching between the students on a school bus following a game on March 23, according to Sgt. Tanya Kalma. Not all members of the baseball team were involved, Kalma said. 

While there were rumors a sexual assault had occurred in the incident, Kalma said Tooele City police are not investigating a sexual assault. 

The Tooele County School District issued a statement on the disciplinary action against the students involved: 

“Almost five weeks ago an incident occurred involving members of the Tooele High School baseball team that resulted in their suspension from school and suspension from participation with the team. The students have served their suspensions and are back in school. They have also returned to playing baseball for the high school in a probationary status. School officials do not plan on issuing any additional disciplinary action for the students involved.”

The Tooele Transcript Bulletin will update this story as more information becomes available.

Police apprehended a man Monday afternoon, following a chase which briefly went off-road and through private property. 

Courtney Adkins, 37, of Tooele, was wanted by state Adult Probation and Parole when he was spotted driving a maroon Mitsubishi Montero by police Monday, according to Tooele City Police Sgt. Tanya Kalma. While in pursuit, Adkins crashed into a van traveling on while traveling westbound on 400 South near the intersection with 50 West. 

Following the crash, Adkins drove the SUV off the roadway and behind two homes, before exiting between two homes onto 100 West, according to Kalma. While driving behind and between the homes, Adkins’s SUV damaged a trampoline, tree and clothes line post. 

A short distance after turning up 100 West, Adkins abandoned his vehicle, which was disabled, and fled into a field heading west, Kalma said. He was apprehended following a short foot pursuit. 

Tooele City police arrested Adkins for driving under the influence. The investigation has been turned over to Adult Probation and Parole.

A $25,000 warrant for Adkins arrest had been issued by 3rd District Court on April 16 for failure to comply with his terms of probation in an August 2017 case in which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of a firearm by a restricted person.  

The occupants of the van struck by Adkins suffered minor injuries, according to Tooele City police. 

The Transcript Bulletin will update this story as more information becomes available. 

Tooele City firefighters battled a fire in an abandoned building on Broadway Avenue on Friday afternoon. 

Firefighters were dispatched to an abandoned building at 99 N. Broadway Ave., around 5:33 p.m. on reports of smoke along the roofline, according to Capt. Bucky Whitehouse, Tooele City Fire Department. Once on scene, fire crews determined the fire was inside the building, which is two separate structures connected by a breezeway.

Crews were able to determine no one was inside the structure, which was sealed up, and attacked the fire internally through the Broadway Avenue side, according to Whitehouse. The fire to the rear of the structure was attacked externally. 

The fire took about 22 minutes to knock down from the time the fire department arrived on scene. A ladder truck, two fire engines and 24 firefighters battled the blaze. 

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and the external structure of the building is not considered a total loss, according to the fire department. 

showe@tooeletranscript.com

A teenage boy drowned Saturday in the Portneuf River near Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, after he jumped in to save his girlfriend, according to the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office. 

Marcos Gil, 17, of Idaho, and his 14-year-old girlfriend, were out for a walk along a popular swimming location along the river, according to Bannock County Sheriff’s Office. When Gil’s girlfriend, a former Erda, Utah, resident, went into the river to swim, she wasn’t able to resurface and he jumped in after to save her. 

The river was fairly high and very swift with undercurrents due to spring runoff, according to the sheriff’s office.

A GoFundMe page created by the family of Gil’s girlfriend said he jumped into the river without hesitation to save the drowning girl. 

“During this courageous and amazing act of selflessness, he was able to get underneath her and push her toward the surface,” the GoFundMe page said. 

As of Tuesday morning, the GoFundMe campaign had raised $6,450 from 155 donors to help pay for funeral expenses and assist Gil’s family.

A dozen members of the Tooele High School baseball team are being investigated for possible charges of lewdness, according to the Tooele City Police Department. The Tooele County Attorney’s Office is screening charges for juvenile court. 

Tooele City police were contacted by the Tooele County School District after a report of inappropriate exposure and touching between the students on a school bus following a game on March 23, according to Sgt. Tanya Kalma. Not all members of the baseball team were involved, Kalma said. 

While there were rumors a sexual assault had occurred in the incident, Kalma said Tooele City police are not investigating a sexual assault. 

The Tooele County School District issued a statement on the disciplinary action against the students involved: 

“Almost five weeks ago an incident occurred involving members of the Tooele High School baseball team that resulted in their suspension from school and suspension from participation with the team. The students have served their suspensions and are back in school. They have also returned to playing baseball for the high school in a probationary status. School officials do not plan on issuing any additional disciplinary action for the students involved.”

The Tooele Transcript Bulletin will update this story as more information becomes available.

Police apprehended a man who fled police Monday afternoon, following a chase that briefly went off-road and through private property. 

Courtney Adkins, 37, was wanted by state Adult Probation and Parole when he was spotted driving a maroon Mitsubishi Montero by police Monday, according to Tooele City Police Sgt. Tanya Kalma. While in pursuit, Adkins crashed into a van while traveling westbound on 400 South near the intersection with 50 West. 

Following the crash, Adkins drove the SUV off the roadway and behind two homes, before exiting onto 100 West, according to Kalma. While driving behind and between the homes, Adkins’s SUV damaged a trampoline, tree and clothes line post. 

A short distance after turning up 100 West, Adkins abandoned his vehicle, which was disabled, and fled into a field heading west, Kalma said. He was apprehended following a short pursuit. 

Tooele City police arrested Adkins for driving under the influence. The investigation has been turned over to Adult Probation and Parole.

A $25,000 warrant for Adkins arrest had been issued by 3rd District Court on April 16 for failure to comply with his terms of probation in an August 2017 case in which he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor possession of a firearm by a restricted person.  

The occupants of the van struck by Adkins suffered minor injuries, according to Tooele City police. 

The Transcript Bulletin will update this story as more information becomes available.

Following emergencies such as the Tooele City wildfire in July 2016 and Fassio Egg Farm fire in 2017, Tooele County Emergency Management redesigned its system to manage volunteers, donations and financial management. 

Using lessons learned from the responses to recent emergencies, TCEM created Tooele Responds, which was unveiled April 18 at a Tooele County Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Tooele Responds gives TCEM the ability to interact with residents eager to help in an emergency situation such as the most recent major fires. 

“One of which was the need to coordinate our volunteers, that we know we’re going to have because we live in a very resilient, very involved county,” said TCEM director Bucky Whitehouse. “Any time we have a significant emergency event, we’re always receiving input from the citizens about wanting to be involved.” 

Following the July 2016 wildfire in Tooele, residents wanted to assist with donations and clean-up efforts but the county lacked a way to effectively communicate with them or provide adequate training, Whitehouse said. 

Now anyone eager to help can register on the Tooele Responds website, tooeleresponds.org, and list their skills, training, and way they could contribute or donate. Businesses, individuals and volunteer or faith-based groups can all register with the system. 

“If they’re interested in being affiliated and involved in the program, we will then be able to better understand what expertise they’re bringing with them, what skills, what type of equipment and all of those things collectively so we are faster in our ability to be able to put them to work in dealing with an emergency,” Whitehouse said. 

The businesses, individuals and organizations that register with Tooele Responds are divided into four levels of involvement and responsibility. 

For Level 1, applicants only need to sign up and provide contact information, as well as promote registration for a business or organization. At Level 2, individuals are required to complete a background check, two training classes, which can be done online, and participate in an exercise or event at least once per year. 

Level 3 requires Community Emergency Response Team training or registration with an approved professional position, with an agency like the Red Cross. At Level 4, applicants need to be trained for shelter or volunteer coordination center, and be capable of taking on a leadership role in an emergency. 

For Level 2, training requirements would be about 5 to 10 per year, with the requirement for Level 3 to be approximately 20 hours, which is how long it takes to be CERT certified. 

Tooele Responds is also a 501c3 non-profit that accepts donations for emergency response and to cover the costs of training. In an emergency event like the July 2016 wildfire, donations could be directed to Tooele Responds instead of various decentralized organizations. 

Whitehouse said Box Elder County found a need to create a similar system to affiliate volunteers after flooding last year when they had to come up with in-kind donations to receive federal funds to rebuild. He said they found it difficult to determine the number of volunteers and the hours they worked without a centralized database of volunteers. 

Tooele Responds will also be able to record and manage donations of food, water and other needs more easily and let county residents know the biggest needs for those in recovery. 

Anyone interested in knowing more about Tooele Responds can visit tooeleresponds.org to sign up, learn about training opportunities or donate. 

At least 775 customers were without power for nearly an hour Wednesday afternoon after an underground power line was damaged during a dig, according to Rocky Mountain Power. 

The outage was originally reported at 12:12 p.m. after the damaged line tripped a circuit breaker at the Pine Canyon substation. Local businesses and residents in the north end of Tooele City were affected by the outage, which was resolved around 1 p.m.

The Tooele man who led police on a chase Wednesday afternoon is facing a total of 14 felony charges, including six felonies. 

Courtney Christian Adkins, 37, is charged with two counts of third-degree felony failure to stop or respond at the command of police, third-degree felony aggravated assault, third-degree felony criminal mischief and two counts of third-degree felony unlawful acquisition or possession of a financial transaction card. 

He is also charged with misdemeanor counts of driving under the influence, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, tampering with evidence, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, possession of drug paraphernalia and an accident involving property damage. 

State Adult Probation and Parole agents attempted to perform a traffic stop on Adkins at 3:36 p.m. on Monday, as he had an active felony warrant, according to a probable cause statement. Adkins refused to stop the Mitsubishi Montero he was driving and agents began a pursuit in the area of 600 N. 100 West, Tooele.

The chase led to 400 S. 50 West, where the SUV Adkins was driving collided with a silver Dodge minivan, the probable cause statement said. After the crash, Adkins drove off the roadway and behind two homes, before exiting onto 100 West, according to Tooele City police. While driving behind and between the homes, Adkins damaged a trampoline, trees and clothes line post.

After exiting onto 100 West, Adkins continued until about 350 South where the SUV became disabled, the statement said. Adkins exited the vehicle and ran toward 200 West, wearing black pants and carrying a black and green backpack.

Tooele City police were flagged down by a city resident who told police Adkins was in the backyard of a nearby residence, according to the probable cause statement. A responding officer saw a black and green backpack in the driveway of the residence and saw Adkins standing behind a tan Nissan Frontier. 

The Tooele City police officer told Adkins to put his hands up and show that he had no weapons, the statement said. Adkins was arrested without incident and searched, then placed in a patrol vehicle. 

In the search of Adkins’s backpack, the arresting officer found three needles, a torch, a black folding pocket knife and two debit cards that belonged to other people, the probable cause statement said. The resident who told police were Adkins was hiding also provided them with a knife they said they saw Adkins throw. 

Adkins said the debit cards were taken from inside the vehicle and the needles were collected in a yard and he collected them so children wouldn’t find them, the statement said. He also claimed the knife the resident said he had tossed and the torch belonged to him. 

Adkins admitted to smoking methamphetamine at 7 a.m. that morning and police noticed his pupils were pinpoint and did not react to light, the probable cause statement said.

Adkins suffered injuries to his right ribs, right ankle, right shoulder and head following the accident and was taken to Mountain West Medical Center for his injuries, treated and released. He was immediately booked into the Tooele County Detention Center. 

More information has been released in the death of an inmate at the Tooele County Detention Center in January. 

The state medical examiner’s office confirmed the death of Chip Thayne Anderson, 39, of Grantsville, was a suicide, as reported in the April 24 edition of the Tooele Transcript Bulletin. Anderson’s listed cause of death was complications from a brain injury in which oxygen was cut off from his brain due to hanging. 

Corrections deputies discovered Anderson unconscious in his cell the morning of Jan. 16, following an apparent suicide attempt, according to a January news release from the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office. He was flown by medical helicopter to a Salt Lake area hospital and died from his injuries on Jan. 17. 

In the medical examiner’s opinion, it said Anderson was alone in his cell and video surveillance does not show another person enter or exit his cell before he was discovered. 

Medical records provided by Anderson’s wife, Necole Anderson, indicate he was taken to Mountain West Medical Center for auditory hallucinations and anxiety on Jan. 14 at 4:33 p.m., less than 48 hours before he was found unconscious in his cell.

During the hospital visit, Anderson told hospital staff he would kill himself if he went back to jail but would not if he was released, according to the medical records. In a suicide risk screening, Anderson said he had thoughts of suicide and answered yes to a question that he had a plan to hurt himself or someone else.

“At this point the patient does not need transfer to psychiatric facility which seems to be what the patient was trying to obtain,” the records said. “When he heard this would not be the plan he became more upset and had to be corralled by the prison officers.” 

The medical records also indicate Anderson had a history of methamphetamine use and had last used it four days prior before he was incarcerated. A blood test found Anderson tested positive for methamphetamine at 14 nanograms per milliliter and amphetamine at 11 nanograms per milliliter, in the medical examiner’s report. Urine tests were negative for controlled substances. 

The hospital recommended Anderson be placed in the padded psychiatric cell at the county detention center to be evaluated by a mental health team from Valley Behavioral Health, records said. He was ordered for discharge from the hospital on Jan. 14 at 6:46 p.m. and medical records described him as stable and said his symptoms had improved.

Tooele County Sheriff Paul Wimmer said Anderson was placed in one of the jail’s psychiatric or safety cells upon return to the hospital. There are two safety cells at the Tooele County Detention Center, one in booking and the other in medical. 

According to Wimmer, crisis workers from Valley Behavioral Health visited with Anderson after he returned from the hospital on Jan. 14 and he remained in the psychiatric cell. On Jan. 15 at 10:30 a.m., Anderson was visited again by crisis workers, who recommended he could return to the general population. 

Tooele County Sheriff’s Office jail policy dictates inmates on suicide watch are placed in safety cells, where they are observed on 15-minute intervals and are under continuous video surveillance. A supervisor and qualified health care professional — if available — should observe the inmate at least once every five hours. 

Wimmer said medical staff are on-site from approximately 6 a.m. or 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. but are on-call for medical emergencies.

Inmates are evaluated frequently due to the nature of the safety cells, which are padded rooms with only a grate in the floor, Wimmer said. There is nowhere to sit and there is no toilet or sink, he said, which is designed to keep inmates safe but can be frustrating to them. 

“That’s why they’re evaluated frequently, because we really want to get them out of there as soon as they’re showing improvement,” Wimmer said. “Or, if they’re getting worse, then we need to get them to a different facility.” 

According to jail policy, only a qualified health care professional can remove an inmate from suicide watch. 

Inmates in general population are checked on at intervals ranging from 45 minutes to 75 minutes, Wimmer said.

Referencing the information collected in the Weber County Sheriff’s Office investigation in Anderson’s death, Wimmer said Anderson was checked on the policy-mandated intervals once he had been placed back into general population leading up to the time of his suicide attempt and was seen inside his cell on surveillance footage about an hour before his was found unconscious.

Anderson was discovered by corrections deputies during a regular walkthrough at approximately 3:39 a.m., according to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office.

Weber County conducted the investigation into Anderson’s death and the sheriff’s office is conducting an internal affairs investigation to ensure policy was followed, Wimmer said. 

The last time an inmate died at the Tooele County Detention Center was July 31, 2016, as a result of an overdose.

Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall presented a $5.7 million tentative budget for 2018-19 on Wednesday evening, an increase of $334,750 or 6.1 percent. 

The Grantsville City Council unanimously approved the tentative budget, the first formal step in the city budget process.

In his address, Marshall highlighted major upcoming projects for the city, including the drilling of a new North Well, the Main Street sewer and water project, and repairs to the Donner Reed Museum, which is expected to reopen Memorial Day weekend. 

With significant projects on the horizon, the budget includes $120,000 for engineering services for the city’s planning and zoning department, up from $35,000 in the current year. 

The tentative budget also includes funds for an additional police officer, a vacuum trailer for clearing sewer lines, and an additional $25,800 for City Hall maintenance to cover the cost of a new roof and carpeting in the foyer. 

The tentative budget also included a 2-percent cost of living adjustment and a 1-percent merit increase, but no change to employees’ 401K.

The legal services budget line increased $20,000 for potential litigation in the city’s lawsuit against Tooele County over breach of contract related to sewer and water services to Deseret Peak Complex. Marshall said the city has entered mediation with the county. 

“We are optimistic that we can resolve the issues with the county regarding public utility service to the complex,” he said. 

The tentative budget also includes a $130,000 transfer from the city’s capital project fund. 

Marshall signaled potential changes to the city’s sewer, water and garbage rates could be on the horizon. 

“Our water, sewer and garbage rates are being analyzed to ensure we not only meet our needs but are also planning for future essential repairs,” he said. 

The city council will hold a work meeting on May 16 at 5:30 p.m. to review the tentative budget and possible changes before the budget is finalized. Any additional work meetings will be scheduled as needed following the May 16 meeting. 

The city’s final budget is scheduled for approval at the city council’s June 20 meeting.

The Grantsville City Council denied the concept plan for a planned unit development over concerns about road widths and drainage during its Wednesday night meeting. 

The proposed development, located at 619 W. Clark St., would include six single-family lots and 73 multi-housing units on approximately 8.4 acres. The multi-housing units would be townhomes clustered in groups of two to five units. 

Grantsville City Mayor Brent Marshall said a group of city officials, including City Attorney Brett Coombs and Grantsville Fire Marshal Brad Clayton, met with Reid Dickson of Infinity Consultants to discuss the development prior to the city council meeting. 

Marshall said there were concerns about private road widths in the development, which were listed at only 34-foot right-of-ways and widening the road would shorten driveways so vehicles wouldn’t fit.

“The whole thing is he’s got too many units jammed into too small of a piece of property,” Marshall said. “There’s not adequate parking.”

Marshall also said Dickson, who was not present for the initial discussion on the concept plan, didn’t seem willing to adjust the design to address concerns. Councilmen Scott Stice and Neil Critchlow both said it appeared the developers weren’t meeting their part of the give-and-take involved in a PUD.

The City Council unanimously denied the concept plan for the PUD, on a motion from Critchlow, seconded by Councilwoman Krista Sparks. 

During a second public comment period at the Wednesday night meeting, the third-to-last agenda item, Dickson arrived at the meeting, citing traffic delays on Interstate 15. He requested a chance to address the City Council and was given five minutes. 

Dickson unveiled an updated PUD, which included private roads with 42-foot right-of-ways and single-side parking. He also said driveways were extended to 20 feet. Eight of the townhomes on the north edge of the development were moved into the center of the development, switching places with a park with pavilion and parking. 

The City Council expressed concerns about enforcing the single-side parking on the private roads and Dickson said the homeowner’s association would enforce parking, as Grantsville City police could not. 

Following Dickson’s presentation, the City Council elected to not reopen the concept plan approval, which remained denied.

North Tooele Fire District teams responded to a shuttle engine fire at the Fassio Egg Farm rail spur off Bates Canyon Road Thursday afternoon.

Employees at Fassio Egg Farm had used the shuttle engine to move rail cars before turning off the battery key switch and heading inside for lunch, according to NTFD spokesman Ryan Willden. When the employees came back outside, the shuttle engine was fully engulfed. 

When the fire crews arrived to the fully involved fire, they were able to quickly knock down the blaze, Willden said. An engine, water tender and brush truck from NTFD and the Tooele County Fire Warden responded to the incident, with a total of seven personnel. 

Willden said it was lucky there were calm weather conditions, which prevented the fire from spreading into nearby vegetation. 

While the cause of the fire is under investigation, Willden said NTFD believes the fire was likely caused by an accidental electrical issue. 

A Grantsville man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly punched another man and attempted to run three people over with his car. 

Travis Thomas Birdzell, 35, is charged with three counts of third-degree felony aggravated assault and one count of misdemeanor assault. 

On April 4, Tooele City police were dispatched to a residence in the city on reports of an assault, according to a probable cause statement. Officers spoke with three victims, who said Birdzell came to the residence looking for his “ex” and got into an argument with one of the victims after he pulled some meth out of his pocket. 

During the argument, Birdzell punched the victim in the chin, the statement said. Birdzell then hopped in his car and attempted to run over all three victims, two male and one female, who were standing in the driveway outside the residence behind a parked car. 

Birdzell made his initial appearance in 3rd District Court on Monday before Judge Matthew Bates. During his court appearance, Birdzell was assigned an attorney and ordered to have no contact with the three victims in the case. 

He is scheduled to return to court for a scheduling conference on June 5 at 1:30 p.m. before Bates.

A pickup truck rolled on state Route 138 on Monday but the driver only suffered minor injuries, according to the Utah Highway Patrol. 

The white pickup truck was traveling westbound on SR-138 near milepost 14 around 4:10 p.m., when it drifted into oncoming traffic, according to UHP Trooper Todd Gillis. An eastbound semitrailer had to swerve into the westbound lanes to attempt to avoid a collision, Gillis said. 

The pickup truck struck the rear of the semitrailer and went off the south side of the roadway, where it rolled and came to rest on its roof, facing east, Gillis said. The semitrailer left the roadway to the south of the road as well, but remained upright. 

Despite the truck coming to rest on its cab, Gillis said the driver of the pickup truck suffered only minor injuries and refused transport by ambulance. A passenger in the truck and the driver of the semi were not injured. 

Fatigue is being investigated as a factor in the crash, Gillis said. The passenger in the truck was asleep at the time of the accident. 

SR-138 was closed in both directions between Sheep Lane and Erda Way for several hours while first responders cleared the scene and investigated the accident. Traffic was diverted onto Sheep Lane and Erda Way during the duration of the road closure.

The 12 Tooele High baseball players involved in a lewdness incident in March will not face criminal charges, according to Tooele County Attorney Scott Broadhead. 

In a memorandum to Tooele juvenile probation, Broadhead said there was “significant evidence” to file multiple Class B misdemeanor lewdness charges against a dozen members of the Tooele High baseball team. He decided, however, not to take action in part due to the actions taken by the Tooele County School District under a new state law. 

House Bill 239, passed by the Legislature in 2017, allows school administrators to either refer class B misdemeanors to juvenile court or handle it internally through school-related intervention. 

In the memorandum, Broadhead said the high school took the alternative path through school suspensions, game suspensions, strict team probation status and possible removal from the team for any noncompliance. 

Broadhead also cited other reasons to not bring criminal charges against the involved baseball players, including the fact there were no clear victims in the case, as the lewd acts were only observed by the 12 participating members. None of the students involved had prior criminal convictions and Broadhead said it would be “unjust to sanction these kids twice” after they admitted to the incident and had been disciplined by the school. 

In the memorandum, Broadhead said the county attorney’s office could revisit the involved students’ conduct should future problems arise. 

“In conclusion, this office does not tolerate this type of conduct and may review this matter in the future if this type of criminal behavior continues with players on the THS baseball team,” he said. 

The possible charges stemmed from an incident when the baseball team was on a school bus following a game on March 23, according to Tooele City police. The school district contacted police following reports of inappropriate exposure and touching between 12 members of the team. Not all members of the team were involved.