By Travis Uresk
3/22/24
Vernal, Ut.—On March 21st, 2024, dispatch received a call stating a male subject had stopped a white truck in front of her property, got out, and ran through her yard.
The caller said the male was behaving oddly and that another suspicious vehicle was in the area, possibly looking for the male suspect.
Before Deputy Fairey arrived, the caller indicated that the male had returned and was pacing around outside the vehicle.
When the Deputy arrived and located the white truck, he saw the male suspect standing next to it. While speaking with the male, he appeared excitable, agitated, also showing paranoia, and was possibly under the influence of a controlled substance.
Due to how the male was acting, it was difficult to follow his account of what had occurred.
The male suspect stated that the truck belonged to his employer and that he was test-driving it. The truck started to make a ticking sound, and he got out and ran from the vehicle, believing it might explode.
The male suspect was asked about the other vehicle in the area, and he stated it was his ex-wife and that she had been tracking him.
The male was asked for his identification, and he provided a Utah state-issued ID card showing him to be 24-year-old Tinieh Raey Tavares.
From recent interactions, assisting deputies were familiar with Tinieh. While Deputy Fairey had been speaking with Tinieh, an assisting deputy contacted the owner of the vehicle and discovered that Tinieh didn't have permission to be in possession of the vehicle and had stolen it from their residence sometime that morning.
Tinieh Tavares was detained in handcuffs, read his Miranda Rights, and Tinieh agreed to speak with Deputy Fairey, who stated he had been at the owner's residence that morning and talked to the owner of the vehicle through a door before taking the truck. Tinieh also said he had known that the keys were inside the truck.
A check of Tinieh's personal information returned that his driver's license was revoked (qualifying offense). Alcohol-restricted driver and ignition interlock requirements were shown as conditions on Tinieh's license record. Tinieh's driver’s license was suspended due to a prior DUI conviction.
Tinieh was transported to the UCJ and booked in on the charges:
Felony 2 theft of an operable motor vehicle, Utah 76-6-404(2)
Misdemeanor B driving on a revoked license (qualifying offense), Utah 53-3-227(3)(A)
Misdemeanor B interlock restricted driver w/o interlock device, Utah 41-6a-518.2.
