Story Archive for 06/02/2009

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Lady Huskies Down Florida For National Title

Published on June 02, 2009 at 10:46PM

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP)—Morgan Stuart hit home Kimi Pohlman on a key sacrifice fly and national player of the year Danielle Lawrie earned the win on the mound as the Washington Lady Huskies clinched their first-ever softball national championship with a 3-2 win over top-seeded Florida Tuesday in the Womens’ College World Series. The win for the Lady Huskies (51-12) enabled them to keep the championship trophy in the Pac-10 as the conference has won 21 of the last 27 national titles in softball. Although the Lady Gators got off to a solid start on Aja Paculba’s first-inning triple and a sacrifice fly by Megan Bush, Washington was able to respond and seize control after a key RBI single from Lawrie. The loss ended the Lady Gators’ remarkable season at 63-5.

Pens Skate Past Wings; Pull To Within 2-1

Published on June 02, 2009 at 10:38PM

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Maxime Talbot had two goals, while Kris Letang and Sergei Gonchar also scored as the Pittsburgh Penguins earned a 4-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Mellon Arena in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals to pull within 2-1 in the series Tuesday. Evgeni Malkin, who instigated a fight in last Sunday’s Game 2 bounced back with three assists, which has given him 33 points in 20 postseason games, the most since Joe Sakic of Colorado had 34 points in 22 playoff games in 1996. Additionally, Marc-Andre Fluery had 27 saves for Pittsburgh as the Penguins scored two crucial third period goals to win going away. Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen scored for the Red Wings in the loss. The series resumes Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Authorities Searching For Missing Orem Woman

Published on June 02, 2009 at 03:24PM

Updated on June 02, 2009 at 09:31PM

(OREM)—Orem Police are still searching for a 31-year old woman who turned up missing more than a week ago. Authorities say Sarah Jensen was last seen May 25 when she left the Utah County area in her vehicle. Investigators say Jensen turned up missing after staying at a Best Western in Beaver the evening of the 25th and going to Zion National Park May 26. Police say Jensen also bought camping equipment and withdrew cash from an ATM. In the interim, Jensen has not contacted family and was last seen driving a silver 2002 Toyota Corolla.

UTA Crashes Into Weber County Backyard

Published on June 02, 2009 at 03:17PM

(NORTH OGDEN)—Residents of a North Ogden home were astonished Tuesday morning when a 42,000-pound UTA bus came crashing into their backyard. An early morning collision between a UTA bus and a Chevy Yukon sent the bus over a curb, through a fence and into the backyard of a home near Washington Boulevard. The incident occurred around 6:30 a.m. while the Yukon was ejected and transported to the hospital with head injuries and road rash. He is expected to recover, although the driver of the bus was not hurt. The driver of the Yukon was cited with making an illegal turn and no one was on the bus at the time of the crash.

Man Pleads Guilty in Sex Trafficking Case

Published on June 02, 2009 at 03:14PM

(SOUTH SALT LAKE)—A South Salt Lake man has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children. 27-year old Dewayne Eugene Hopkins admits to taking photos of and underaged girl and publishing them on craigslist.com in the spring of 2008. Hopkins also said he drove the girl in question to Taylorsville to a Midvale hotel so she could engage in sex acts and collected part of the money she received. Hopkins will be sentenced in U.S. District Court September 1. The case of Hopkins’ co-defendant, Julia Jane Young, is pending. Their case was first charged by the Utah Human Trafficking Task Force.

Man Convicted Twice For Same Offense

Published on June 02, 2009 at 03:05PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—A Bountiful man has been convicted twice for the same offense, but prosecutors insist this is not double jeopardy. 48-year old Scott Dale Kerber pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of possession of child pornography. He was then indicted by a federal grand jury after he was convicted in Farmington’s 2nd District Court last year, but the judge gave him only a year in jail. According to court records, Kerber pleaded guilty to a pair of second-degree felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. He was accused of possessing child porn images and arrested by the Utah Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. During his March sentencing, court records show Judge Rodney S. Page suspended a pair of 1 to 15-year prison terms in favor of probation and work release during his jail time. After the sentence was imposed, federal prosecutors were approached about filing charges. Oddly enough, an indictment was secured for the same offense. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah sought permission from superiors in Washington D.C. before proceeding with the prosecution. According to a statement by the defendant in advance of his guilty plea, Kerber admitted to possessing more than 200 pornographic images of children on his computer, which included young children engaging in sexual acts. Currently, Kerber faces up to 10 years in federal prison when he is sentenced October 5.

Taylorsville Standoff Ends Peacefully

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:57PM

(TAYLORSVILLE)—A man on the Department of Correction’s Most Wanted List is now in police custody following a Taylorsville standoff. The incident began Tuesday morning and ended peacefully an hour later when 24-year old Eduardo Delacruz surrendered. Taylorsville police received an anonymous tip that Delacruz, a member of the DOC’s Most Wanted List on charges of aggravated robbery, was armed inside a house. Police and the Salt Lake County SWAT team then blocked off the neighborhood and evacuated surrounding homes. Police say Delacruz was alone in the house and refused to come out. Finally, authorities made phone contact with him after which officers allowed Delacruz’ mother, Louise Delgado, to speak with him on the phone. Delgado claimed Delacruz was ready to turn himself in Tuesday but stated the anonymous caller was an angry girlfriend which caused things to be blown out of proportion. Taylorsville police then procured a warrant for the home and found a handgun on the driver’s side of a car parked in the driveway which proved to be the only suspicious thing found on the premises.

Man Threatens To Torch Family, House With WD-40

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:50PM

(LEHI)—A Lehi man is in jail after police stated he tried to torch his family with a can of WD-40. Shane Johnson had been living away from his family for several weeks but he was invited home last Friday to celebrate his birthday. However, the following morning, in the words of Lehi Police Lieutenant Darren Paul, Johnson woke up and was upset that his wife and kids slept in and that the house was messy. Next, he woke them up, claiming to be a robot ready to clean the house but his cleaning technique didn’t go over well as he started breaking things. Next, Lieutenant Paul said, he began spraying his wife in the face with WD-40 after which he took a lighter and made a blow torch with the WD-40, threatening to burn down the house as well as his family. Johnson was then booked on three counts of aggravated assault and criminal mischief. Police are also investigating whether or not he had any mental disorders that may have led to this outburst.

Granite High Prepares For Closure

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:48PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—At the end of this school week, Granite High Students will say their last goodbyes to the school as it is slated to be closed down Friday. The school, which currently has 300 students, became an alternative school several years ago and is being shut down in order to help the Granite School Board save money.

Trial Begins For Teacher Accused of Having Sex With Student

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:42PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The trial of a former high school teacher accused of having sex with a student began Tuesday. The judge heard testimony from the teen’s father and stepmother who began monitoring the teen’s Internet use. They then cited several e-mail exchanges between the teen and the teacher in question, Jose Fanjul, while the father said some of the e-mails were flirtatious. However, defense attorneys say Fanjul, a former teacher at West High School, adamantly denies such charges and beside the parents’ statements, the state has no evidence against him. This same girl had a sexual relationship with a counselor at West, Marco Herrera, in 2007. After his conviction, Herrera was sentenced to prison. Prosecutors charged Fanjul with five counts each of forcible sodomy and forcible sexual abuse. Defense attorneys sought to file a motion to dismiss the case because of pretrial publicity they believe would have tainted a jury. The case is expected to run through Friday.

Gas Leak Forces Several Evacuations

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:30PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Several Salt Lake City residents were forced to evacuate their homes Tuesday after construction crews punctured a 2-inch gas line. Crews are currently repairing the accident. With the gas line pinched off, residents who were evacuated have been able to return to their homes. The puncture also caused natural gas to immediately spray into the air and surrounding homes. KSL-TV has reported the line will take longer than originally expected to repair. Crews say water is leaking into the hole where they’re trying to repair the line and once the water is pumped, Questar crews will be able to complete repairs

Driver Hitting Skateboarder Could Face Charges

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:27PM

(CENTERVILLE)—A Centerville City Councilwoman could face charges in connection with a crash that sent a 10-year old boy to the hospital. Police reported Sherri Lynn Lindstrom was driving when she hit the boy who was riding his skateboard in a Bountiful crosswalk Friday. Officers reported she may have been distracted at the time, but Lindstrom told the Ogden Standard-Examiner this was not the case. The boy suffered head injuries and is currently in the hospital in stable, yet critical condition.

Utah Sees Decline in Deaths From Prescription Drugs

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:22PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—The Utah Department of Health announced the number of deaths associated with prescription drug overdoses decreased by 12.6 percent from 2008 Tuesday. The dip is the largest decrease in non-illicit drug overdose deaths recorded in the Medical Examiner’s database since 1994, although drug overdoses causing death remained unchanged from the 2007 statistics. In May 2008, UDOH launched its “Use Only As Directed” campaign with the intent of educating Utah residents about the potential dangers prescription drugs present and the results appear to be successful thus far.

Romney Suggested As Potential Candidate for Lieutenant Gov.

Published on June 02, 2009 at 02:18PM

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Soon-to-be Utah Governor Gary Herbert is still deciding who to select as the new lieutenant governor and running mate for 2010. Some political circles have mentioned Josh Romney, Mitt Romney’s son, as a candidate. The 33-year old Romney told the Deseret News he isn’t actively campaigning to be Utah’s lieutenant governor under Herbert, but if an offer is extended to him, he would strongly consider it. Herbert is in line to assume the governorship in Utah provided the incumbent Jon Huntsman is confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to China. Romney also told the Deseret News that he and Herbert have talked several times since then, but the lieutenant governor’s position was not discussed.

Richfield City awards chip seal bid

Published on June 02, 2009 at 12:36PM

(RICHFIELD) – The Richfield City Council met in a special meeting last week to consider awarding the 2009 chip seal project to the lowest bidder. Business Administrator, Woody Farnsworth, says two companies submitted bids for the project. Farnsworth said Lamb Excavating was $4,000 over the Hales Sand and Gravel bid. He said the project is divided in two parts with the first portion of construction for roads only and the second portion to include the multiple use bike and walking path from the cemetery to the swimming pool. Farnsworth said with the approval of the low bid, Hales Sand and Gravel can begin the projects immediately with completion earmarked sometime this summer.

Hurricane council plans park decision

Published on June 02, 2009 at 11:30AM

(HURRICANE) – A special public hearing was held last week in Hurricane concerning the development of a theme park as a tourist destination. The developers, Our World Family, presented their plan to the city council and public at the hearing, saying the project would include a school system, indoor ski resort and a theme and water park on 2,000 acres in Hurricane. Planning Director, Toni Foran, says the city compiled a list of concerns in January and the council needs to make a final decision as to whether to go forward with the project or not. Foran said the project will have a large impact on the city, involving a lot of acres and infrastructure, including water, sewer, power and roads. She said the council will need to make a final decision by their June 4 meeting. Our World Family had previously presented the planned development to Toquerville residents with no success for support.

Local talent featured at Miss Utah Pageant

Published on June 02, 2009 at 10:58AM

(RICHFIELD) – A local pageant winner is running for the Miss Utah title this summer. Jessilyn Gurney, daughter of Scott and Jodi Gurney of Aurora, is planning on competing for the Miss Utah title that will be held in Salt Lake City June 15-20. Gurney says she has been competing in pageants ever since she was five years of age. Her platform coincides with the national “Look Good, Feel Better” pageant platform where contestants donate makeup kits to cancer patients nationwide. She said there are 46 contestants competing for the Miss Utah title and her number is 43. In the talent portion of the pageant, Gurney will be singing and playing her own piece on the guitar. Gurney is the current Miss CEU, at the College of Eastern Utah in Price, where she has been attending school.

Garage heavily damaged in Sevier fire

Published on June 02, 2009 at 07:17AM

(SEVIER) – Richfield and Monroe Fire Departments were dispatched to Sevier Saturday night to find a garage fully engulfed in flames. A sheriff’s report said that fire crews responded to the Charles Ainge residence at 605 West Cove Canal Road at about 11:10pm. Ainge was watching TV at the time of the fire and woke up his wife to find his garage burning and called 911. The couple were able to slow the fire with a garden hose until the fire departments arrived. Fire crews were able to put out the fire to the garage without major damage to the rest of the house but there was some smoke damage. The sheriff’s report stated the Monroe Fire Department was called out again to the same residence at about 2:45am to discover coal embers had fanned into flames again. Initial reports indicate the fire started in the attic of the garage resulting in heavy damage to the garage along with tools and equipment. The State Fire Marshall continues to investigate the cause of the blaze.

Richfield woman and boy injured on I-70

Published on June 02, 2009 at 06:50AM

(SALINA) – A 19-year old Richfield woman and a male juvenile were taken to the hospital after their vehicle rolled on I-70 Sunday night. According to a UHP report, Tiphani Robinson was traveling westbound in a 1998 Chevy Cavalier at about 8:30pm, when she went off the road, overcorrected and rolled about 20 miles east of Salina. Her vehicle came to rest on its top and both occupants were transported to the Sevier Valley Medical Center with unknown injuries.