A South Jordan man accused of leading authorities on a high-speed chase last month through two counties is set to make his first appearance in court next week, after he was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges.
Nathaniel Lloyd Bigman, 19, allegedly sped away from police in Moab at recorded speeds of at least 118 miles per hour at about 10:20 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 18, 2017, before he was apprehended in San Juan County. He is now scheduled to appear in 7th District Court on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to face a third-degree felony charge of failure to stop at the command of law enforcement and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving.
According to a Moab City Police Department report, an officer first observed a dark gray Dodge Charger traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 191 near milepost 124 at 75 miles per hour in a 45-mile-per-hour zone.
The officer immediately began to pursue the vehicle, and as he did, the driver rapidly accelerated the Dodge Charger, according to the report.
After the officer advised a Grand County Sheriff’s deputy that the vehicle was headed in his direction, the officer activated his emergency lights and siren, and pursued the Dodge. But the driver allegedly failed to stop, reaching speeds of up to 110 miles per hour until he disappeared beyond the officer’s line of sight.
Soon afterwards, a northbound truck driver advised the officer that the Dodge was still heading southbound with all of its lights turned off. The sheriff’s deputy then informed the officer that the vehicle had just passed him near milepost 120 at 118 miles per hour.
There was minimal traffic on the highway, so the deputy and the officer continued to pursue the suspect, while advising the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office of the situation.
San Juan County Sheriff’s units were preparing to deploy a tire deflation device near milepost 89.5 when the Dodge approached them. As it did so, the driver began to slow down rapidly and came to a stop just beyond a San Juan County Sheriff’s patrol vehicle.
Bigman was then taken into custody; he allegedly told deputies that he has “a lot” of speeding tickets, and was afraid of getting another one.
Under the law, he is presumed to be innocent unless or until a court formally convicts him of any charges.
