By Travis Uresk
3/21/24
Vernal, Ut.—On March 17th, 2024, at 10:30 pm, UHP Trooper Searle was dispatched to a traffic accident on SR-121 near 1500 W.
When the trooper arrived, he observed skid, gouge, and other tire marks and a debris field showing a tan Mercedes Benz traveling westbound when it crossed over the doubled yellow center line and hit a red Dodge pickup traveling eastbound. The Mercedes hit a fiber/telephone pedestal and went through a barbed wire fence.
All the doors on the Mercedes were locked except the driver's door, and the driver was no longer on scene.
There was a gouge mark in the dirt from the driver's door being opened, and the barbed wire had been pulled away from that area of the car.
The driver's side window had been broken, the car was still in drive, and the key was still in the on position. Inside the vehicle, the trooper found a driver's license belonging to 23-year-old Maguire B Simmons and a calendar book with the same name on it.
Inside the vehicle, items were on the seats, clustering the floor and every seat but the driver. The seat belt was still fastened and loose, appearing the driver was sitting on it instead of wearing it.
A records check was performed on the Mercedes, and it was discovered it had been stopped by the police before, and Maguire was the driver. It was also discovered that he wasn't the registered owner; his mother was.
Sgt Watkins contacted Mrs. Simmons at her residence and asked her if she owned a Mercedes, and she said she did. She was asked who was driving the Mercedes tonight, and she stated Maguire had the car. Mrs. Simmons was informed what had happened and asked to call Maguire and put the phone on speaker so the officer could hear the conversation, but she refused to put the phone on speaker.
Sgt Watkins took the phone and tried speaking with Maguire, but he couldn’t hear his responses. When asked where he was, the call ended, and the mother asked the officer to leave.
Mrs. Simmons then arrived at the accident scene with her husband. Trooper Searle spoke with Mrs. Simmons and asked her where Maguire was, and she stated she didn't know. She also stated she didn't know who was driving her car at the time of the accident. Mrs. Simmons said she last saw her car last Tuesday, and her son usually drives it. He is staying with his grandmother; the vehicle should have been there.
Trooper Searle asked Mrs. Simmons who her mother was and for her address. Mrs. Simmons informed the trooper she wasn't going to give him that information and that she was done speaking with him. Her husband said he wasn't willing to speak with the police either.
With the assistance of the Uintah County Sheriff's Office and the Vernal City Police Department, a search of the area was performed, and Maguire was not found. A social media search was performed, and it was discovered that Mrs. Simmons's mother is Mrs. Samuels, and she lived about a mile away from the accident scene.
On March 18th, 2024, an interview with Mrs. Samuels was conducted. She explained she last saw Maguire leave her home at around 3:30 pm on the 17th in the Mercedes and hadn’t seen him since.
At 6:30 pm, dispatch informed Trooper Searle that Maguire was in the office parking lot and wanted to speak with him.
Trooper Searle arrived and met with Maguire in the UHP parking lot. An interview was conducted, during which Maguire stated he was with his friend watching a show. He then left his friend's home to go to his grandma's when he next remembers waking up at another friend's home. He said he didn't remember the accident or how he got to his friend's house.
The trooper asked why he couldn’t recall last night, and Maguire stated, “He couldn’t recall because he hit his head pretty hard.”
Maguire was asked what part of the car he hit his head on, and Simmons stated that it was probably the steering wheel.
Maguire Simmons was arrested without incident and transported to the Uintah County Jail.
Trooper Searle contacted his friend to tell his side of the story. He stated that Maguire came to his apartment on the 17th to watch a show, and the both of them had been drinking. Maguire wanted to go for a drive, but his friend stayed home. Maguire left the apartment in the Mercedes around 8:30 pm.
Maguire then posted a Snapchat video of him driving crazy sometime after 10:00 pm. Trooper Searle watched the video and observed it was recorded by a handheld device. In the video, you can see the driver swerving back and forth.
At 10:21 pm, his friend receives a phone call from Maguire. His friend states the call was about Maguire having crashed his car, and he could hear Simmons running, and then the call dropped. About 30 minutes later, Maguire calls his friend again, saying he wrecked his car and asking him to come and pick him up behind the high school.
