Homeowners catch a thief on their property and wrestle her to the ground after trying to steal their car
- Travis Uresk
- Jul 8
- 2 min read
by Travis Uresk
7-8-25
| Duchesne County | July 4th, 2025 |
On Friday in the late afternoon, a couple was leaving their home when they saw a female walking past their property.
The couple decided to turn around and check their property, making sure everything was secure, out of suspicion of the female walking down the road.
One property owner went to look for the female. The suspect had entered the property and made contact with the other property owner. During that time, the female entered the unlocked running vehicle belonging to the homeowners.
The property owner attempted to remove the subject from the car by pulling on her and grabbing the steering wheel. The female put the vehicle in drive and drove off with the property owner hanging out of the car.
The fleeing subject then ran the vehicle over a set of huge boulders and crashed into a tree. When the crash occurred, the property owner said she sustained an injury to her right knee.
Hearing all the commotion, the male property owner ran over to the crash and tried to get in the vehicle through the passenger side. While attempting this, the female put the car in reverse and caused him to fall, dragging him across the ground. The man sustained moderate injuries to his entire back, lacerations to the left shin, and lacerations down the length of his left arm.
The female then drove off and crashed into another set of small yard ornaments. The property owners ran over and pulled the female from the car. The female subject grabbed a large stick and began to threaten the homeowners.
Deputies arrived, apprehended the female suspect, and placed her under arrest. Before and after the arrest, the suspect refused to provide her personal identification, and at the time of the arrest, it had still not been verified.
During this incident, the female, who was later identified as 37-year-old Barbara Joe Mellenthin, made claims that once she was released, she intended to return to the victims and the arresting officers home to kill or harm them.
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