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Duchesne County Deputies are asking the public to look out for recently stolen recreational vehicles just north of Red Creek Reservoir. Anyone with information is asked to call 435-738-2015.

Duchesne County and Uintah County have been placed under Stage 1 fire restrictions due to critical fire weather and extremely dry vegetation conditions, according to Utah Fire Info.

The State of Utah has issued a Stage 1 Fire Restriction Order that will go into effect for Uintah and Duchesne Counties at 12:01am on Friday, July 19th. The order states that “due to current and forecasted weather conditions coupled with the extremely dry vegetation conditions in northeastern Utah, the State Forester, in consultation with the county commission of the affected county, has determined that measures must be taken to prevent the ignition of forest and rangeland fires.” This means the following: No open fires of any kind except within established public facilities in improved campgrounds or picnic areas or in permanently constructed fire pits at private homes where running water is present. No smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle, trailer, building or developed recreation site or while stopped in an area that is paved or free from dry vegetation. No discharging or using any fireworks, tracer ammunition or other pyrotechnic devices, including exploding targets. No cutting, welding, or grinding metal in areas of dry vegetation. And no operating a motorcycle, chainsaw, ATV, or other small internal combustion engine without an approved and working spark arrestor. These restrictions are in place for all unincorporated private and all state lands within Duchesne County and Uintah County. It does not affect private lands within incorporated towns or city limits. Violations of the order are punishable by up to 6 months in jail and up to a $1,000 dollar fine.

A couple was arrested in Duchesne County on Friday, July 12, after detectives were informed a fugitive may have been in the Fruitland area to avoid authorities.

DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah (KUTV) — A fugitive wanted for kidnapping and burglary charges has been found and taken into custody. On Friday, a neighboring agency told detectives with the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office that there was a chance Pohiva Fatafehi -- the wanted fugitive -- was staying in Fruitland to avoid apprehension.

FRUITLAND, Duchesne County — Deputies with the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office took a wanted fugitive into custody last week in Fruitland. According to a news release, authorities in Duchesne County were notified on Friday by another law enforcement agency that Pohiva Fatafehi was possibly staying in the area in an effort to avoid being arrested.

A wanted fugitive from the Salt Lake area and his girlfriend were arrested last week in the Fruitland area where they were found hiding out. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office was made aware that fugitive Pohiva Fatafehi was suspected to be hiding in Duchesne County and that he was known to be armed and dangerous. On July 12th, detectives and deputies responded to the area of Current Creek Meadows in an attempt to locate Fatafehi and were given a tip to check a certain camp trailer. Officers surrounded the trailer and commanded anyone inside to exit. Fatafehi’s girlfriend, 23-year-old Meliame Angilau, exited the trailer. After being given more commands, Fatafehi eventually exited the trailer and was placed into custody. In addition to drug paraphernalia in plain sight, a search of the trailer revealed blank checks, a printer, multiple IDs belonging to other people, personal documents with Social Security numbers and bank accounts belonging to other individuals, methamphetamine, prescription drugs belonging to another individual, and additional drug paraphernalia. Angilau told detectives that they had taken the checks and other items from a house they had lived in before coming to the Fruitland area. Fatafehi was booked into Duchesne County Jail on active warrants before being released to the Springville Police Department. He was taken to the Utah County Jail on charges of kidnapping and burglary. Angilau was booked into the Duchesne County Jail on over 21 charges, including drug related offenses, theft, and felony charges related to the forgery and unlawful possession of financial cards. Officers noted that if the suspect is released from custody it is likely she will flee this jurisdiction and continue to take others personal documents for monetary gain. It was ordered that she be held without bail. Her initial appearance in court was held on July 15th.

Duchesne County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting on July 11, 2024 for the grand opening of the Bottle Shop, in Duchesne. Pictured are:…

Duchesne County officials are asking for help looking for a teenager who went missing Wednesday night, according to the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office.

DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah, July 11, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 16-year-old Duchesne boy missing since Wednesday night has been found safe, the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office announced Friday. On Thursday afternoon, the sheriff’s office asked for help locating Haegan Sagers, who had last been seen at his home...

A man was arrested after violating his own protective order in an incident in Duchesne County just after midnight on July 11th. Officers responded to a call during which dispatch workers could hear a man making threats and yelling at a woman that she “better not call anyone”. Upon arrival, officers found 40-year-old Daniel Paul Diaz attempting to get into a vehicle. Officers made contact and found that Diaz had 5 knives and 2 BB guns on his person. A bong with residue consistent with use of Meth or Crack was also in his possession. Upon investigation it was found that Diaz had come to the home and initiated an altercation with a person that he had a Protective Order against, therefore violating his own Protective Order. Diaz was arrested for the offenses of Assault, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Violation of a Protective Order.

The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office has asked the public to keep an eye out for a missing juvenile. According to the Sheriff’s Office, Haegan Sagers was last seen at home at 11pm on Wednesday. The teenager’s phone was last pinged about an hour later and it has been suspected he was heading towards Heber. He is 5″10″ with hair starting to curl at the top. His family says this is not like him to take off for no reason. He was last wearing ripped jeans, a darker color shirt and cowboy boots. He didn’t take any clothes with him. Pictures of the missing juvenile have been shared on the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page and with this news story on BasinNow.com. Anyone with information is asked to please call Dispatch at 435-738-2424.

Ashley National Forest and the Division of Wildlife Resources have provided further information on the rotenone treatment in the High Uintas starting this month. The native cutthroat trout restoration project will use rotenone within the northeastern portion of the Lake Fork Drainage in the Oweep Basin. Crews will be implementing the rotenone treatment July 28th through August 1st. “An area closure is being issued to allow ground crews to work safely in and around the treated waters without harm or injury to the public,” shares the announcement. “This project serves to restore Colorado River cutthroat trout to their native range by removing competing nonnative species. The Oweep Basin will be stocked with Colorado River cutthroat trout following this rotenone treatment. The closure area is within 20 feet of Porcupine Lake, Oweep Creek, and the tributaries of Oweep Creek. The area is located in the High Uintas Wilderness Area in Duchesne County.” The closure area does not include the National Forest Trails that cross the area.

A probation check in Duchesne County led to the arrest of 2 individuals. According to the Affidavit of Probable Cause, evidence revealed that probationer 32-year-old Tausha Brandt was trying to buy illegal narcotics and a check was conducted at her home in Duchesne City. Brandt and her boyfriend, 36-year-old Nickolas Allred, were both there and when asked if there were illegal substances in the home they both confirmed that there were. They showed officers a bag of 15 Fentanyl pills and multiple boxes of drug paraphernalia. A K-9 officer arrived and assisted in further searching the house. With the help of the K-9 several more containers were found. These contained items for distributing illegal narcotics, syringes loaded with Heroin, Marijuana, Psilocybin Mushrooms, prescription pills including Oxycodone Hydrochloride, Clonazepam, and Lorazepam. Both were arrested and booked into the Duchesne County Jail. Tausha Brandt tested positive for Fentanyl while Nickolas Allred tested positive for Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and Amphetamines. They were arrested on Felony drug distribution as well as Misdemeanor drug charges. Because Tausha Brandt’s children also live in the home, Felony child endangerment charges were also on the list of offenses.

An AP&P check ended in arrest in Duchesne County this week. On July 8th, Adult Parole and Probation requested assistance from the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office to perform a vehicle inspection. Methamphetamine was located in the vehicle. A search was then performed at the registered house of the individual. Methamphetamine, paraphernalia, and multiple knives were located, as well as other items. 59-year-old Jose Hernandez-Gonzalez was arrested and booked in the Duchesne County Jail for felony charges, including possession of methamphetamine and possession of a weapon by a restricted person, among other drug related charges.

The public comment period is open on the Chevron Pipe Line Company’s Duchesne Riverbank stabilization project. “The proposed project involves bank stabilization on a section of the Duchesne River to prevent further erosion that could impact an existing crude oil pipeline,” explains the public notice on EPA.gov. “Approximately 116.25 linear feet of riprap would be constructed along the north bank of the Duchesne River within the ordinary high water mark near Milepost 90 of the pipeline. The riprap would be placed into the river using a front-end loader or equivalent equipment from the top of the riverbank; river access is not anticipated. Work would be conducted during low flows. One temporary access road would be constructed to allow access to the work site from Rock Creek Road. Disturbed upland areas will be revegetated with native seed mix following construction.” The proposed project location is 1.34 miles west of the Rock Creek Road/Well Road intersection in Duchesne County. The comment period closes on August 8th. A link to instructions on how to comment is provided with this news story on BasinNow.com. Link: https://www.epa.gov/publicnotices/opportunity-comment-clean-water-act-certification-chevron-pipe-line-mp90-bank.

A traffic stop on July 5th ended in a felony arrest for the vehicle’s passenger in Duchesne County. A traffic stop was initiated on SR-87 on a vehicle with expired plates. The driver shared that she did not have a license and was known to be on probation. The officer asked for consent to search the vehicle which the driver gave. The officer noticed that the passenger began grabbing things and she was asked to stop and exit the vehicle. Both women gave consent for a search of the vehicle. During the search, the officer found a bag with a lock under some towels. The lock was opened by moving just one digit and inside were found items commonly used for containing and distributing drugs as well as 52 grams of methamphetamine and a scale with residue. The bag was identified as belonging to the passenger, 52-year-old Heather Davis. During her arrest, Davis pulled a glass pipe and small bag of meth from her bra and said there was more meth in her front pocket. She was booked into Duchesne County Jail on felony possession with intent to distribute methamphetamines and drug paraphernalia.

By Marcie TuckerContributing Writer The town was homesteaded in 1906 and the town-site purchased in 1912. The Indian name of Neola was given to the…