Wild midnight chase ends in arrest of Ferron man

By John Serfustini

A 27-year-old Ferron man was arrested and booked into Emery County jail early Thursday morning on multiple charges stemming from a wild chase on SR10 through Carbon and Emery counties. An Emery County Sheriff’s Office report identified the suspect as Skyler Montag.
The report stated that the incident began when a concerned citizen called the Sheriff’s office shortly before midnight Wednesday reporting an erratic driver. The caller stated that he had been traveling behind the vehicle on SR10 from Ferron to Castle Dale.
The caller reported that the vehicle was all over the road and had actually driven onto the sidewalk in front of Zions Bank in Castle Dale. Two ECSO deputies responded. The vehicle was pulled over on Main Street in Huntington. As one deputy was talking to the driver, he asked the driver to unbuckle his seat belt, which he did. The deputy then opened the driver’s side door and asked the driver to exit the vehicle. At this point, the driver put the vehicle in drive and took off northbound. A high speed chase ensued.
While the chase was taking place on the 20-mile stretch of SR10 between Huntington and Price, officers with Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, Price City Police and Utah Highway Patrol were preparing to deploy spikes at various locations. The first set of spikes at mile post 63.5 damaged the vehicle’s front tires, causing it to slow down a bit. Spikes were also deployed at 3000 South Carbon Avenue in Price and at the intersection of Carbon Avenue and Fairgrounds Road. The vehicle still refused to stop and was weaving into oncoming traffic. With no front tires left, the suspect vehicle then entered SR6 eastbound. An Emery County deputy tried to get alongside the vehicle, but the vehicle accelerated again and the suspect driver was having a hard time remaining in control of the vehicle.
The vehicle was then traveling in the wrong lane on Price Main Street and was close to striking several vehicles at the Auto Farm dealership. At this point, the deputy believed it was clear that the driver was not going to stop the vehicle and the danger to the public was reaching a high level as they were entering the city.
As they neared the empty lot by Pizza Hut, the deputy used his vehicle to strike the suspect vehicle on the left rear panel. This caused the suspect vehicle to turn sideways into the middle of the road. The driver then accelerated, barely missing a collision with the second ECSO deputy. The suspect regained control and continued westbound on Price Main Street. The suspect vehicle then attempted to turn south on 700 East, but slid through the intersection, hitting the curb and traveling onto a lawn. As this street leads into a residential neighborhood, the deputy determined the danger to the public to be very high at this point.
As the suspect vehicle was sideways and nearly to a stop, the deputy again used his vehicle to strike the right rear panel of the suspect vehicle. A second ECSO deputy then blocked the suspect vehicle from moving.
As the two deputies approached the vehicle, the tires were still spinning and the subject was still trying to get away. Law enforcement personnel from other agencies arrived on scene and assisted in removing the suspect from the vehicle, where he was cuffed and searched. Montag was transported to Carbon County Jail for holding, and shortly thereafter was transported to Castleview Hospital to be medically cleared.
Montag was booked into the Emery County Jail on preliminary charges of fleeing, DUI, two counts of possession of a weapon by an intoxicated person, reckless driving, driving on suspension and resisting arrest. The investigation is ongoing and Montag could face additional charges.