A case of a stolen vehicle in Uintah County earlier this month ended in charges last week. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, the theft was reported on October 9th. The complainant stated that he had last driven the Chevy Silverado on October 7th when it was parked near 1085 East Highway 40, possibly with the window down and keys in the ignition. Surveillance footage was obtained from a business which showed a man walking up to the Chevy, getting inside, and exiting the parking lot a short time later. An employee of the store informed officers that they had posted images from the surveillance footage on Facebook and an anonymous person had shared information regarding the man seen in the surveillance video stealing the vehicle. The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Jacob Lavon Minchey, who had been arrested in Duchesne County just days before on October 15th on charges of Assault and Domestic Violence. Officers interviewed Minchey at the Duchesne County Jail. He told them that on October 9th he had been walking to Roosevelt from Heber City when he was picked up and given a ride to Vernal. He went into a bar in Vernal and consumed alcohol until the bar closed and he did not remember the rest of the night. When shown footage of him stealing the truck, he said he took the truck to the desert north of Highway 40 in the Gusher area but was not sure of its current location. He is charged with 2nd Degree Felony Theft of a Motor Vehicle.
