Stolen pit-bull pup, old Winnebago go for one wild ride

Police say a wanted man with a pilfered puppy rampaged down Washington Boulevard in Ogden on Friday in an old Winnebago motor home, leading officers on a wild chase.

The chase, which was sparked by a stolen pit bull puppy, left police and witnesses shaking their heads as they watched the Winnebago lose control, roll and plow into the front yard of a Washington Terrace home.

"The suspect was driving extremely dangerously," said Ogden Police Lt. David Tarran.

Police said Friday's chase actually had its start on Thursday, when police received a call about a stolen puppy. In searching for the man who was suspected, police found he had a felony warrant for his arrest on aggravated burglary out of Layton.

By Friday about 7 p.m., officers had caught up with the man, living in his motor home behind the Mill Stream Motel, 1400 Washington Blvd. "They confronted the suspect in the motor home," Tarran said, with guns drawn because the man was known to possess weapons.

Suddenly, the man slammed the motor home door shut and began firing up the engine. Tarran said one officer broke out the driver's side window in an attempt to stop the man but was dragged a few feet. The officer suffered cuts that required stitches.

Police say the man sped south on Washington Boulevard, weaving erratically into oncoming traffic and striking at least two other vehicles and causing a third accident. Tarran said officers called off the chase but resumed when the man continued to barrel through red lights. Once officers caught up with the Winnebago in Washington Terrace, one officer managed to ram the vehicle with his patrol car, causing the motor home's driver to lose control. The motor home slammed into a tree and fence and landed nearly upside-down in a homeowner's yard.

The man then escaped through the broken driver's window and fled on foot to a nearby home that police say belonged to a known criminal. Before SWAT was called, the man surrendered to officers. He was treated for minor scrapes and bruises.

Shayne Payton of Ogden was booked into the Weber County jail on suspicion of felony evading and assaulting a police officer.

Police say the puppy is fine. The puppy may yet become the genesis of another criminal case, as police discovered the pup was purchased using stolen checks.

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