GUNNISON, Utah — A man is in custody after he allegedly attempted to flee from police with a missing 12-year-old Sanpete County girl before crashing his truck.
Aiden Larsen, 20, was arrested following the incident and faces charges of failure to obey officers and reckless endangerment.
On Tuesday, the Gunnison Valley Police Department issued an alert for the missing girl, saying they believed she had been traveling in a white Ford F-150 truck.
Later in the day, Utah Highway Patrol troopers were told that a ping from the victim's cell phone placed her in the area around the Richfield campus of Snow College. Officers searched the area and found a truck matching the description of the one they were searching for at a Flying J.
When officials attempted to stop the vehicle for questioning, they say it took an on-ramp and started heading West at over 100 miles per hour. A pursuit ensued, going through Elsinore and Monroe, before police stopped the pursuit due to the safety of the public.
A short time later, the vehicle was once again located on the freeway heading towards Joseph.
Eventually, police say the truck took an exit down to a frontage road, where officials were able to spike the truck's tires. At that point, the truck entered an RV park before hitting multiple fences.
The missing teen was located inside the truck and assessed by medical personnel at the scene. Larsen was found hiding under a building near the river a short time later. He is being held without bail.
