LOGAN — A 34-year-old man is being held without bail following a reckless highway pursuit, an abandoned vehicle search, and a multi-agency warehouse manhunt, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office announced.
Muimui Semau was arrested following a series of events that began Tuesday, July 21. According to Chief Deputy Mikelshan Bartschi, the incident started when deputies spotted a black Nissan Altima driving recklessly and passing other vehicles in the median along U.S. Highway 89/91.
Deputies attempted a traffic stop, and the vehicle initially pulled over. However, as a deputy began exiting the patrol car, the driver accelerated rapidly and fled.
In the interest of public safety, deputies terminated the initial pursuit as the Nissan entered the Logan city limits. Shortly after, the vehicle was spotted at several locations throughout the city, including near Sam’s Club, where deputies re-engaged the chase. The driver eventually drove into a nearby apartment complex, where deputies briefly lost sight of the vehicle before finding it parked and abandoned.
While processing the vehicle, investigators interviewed its registered owner and identified Semau as the primary suspect.
As the active search continued, law enforcement received reports of an individual breaking into a nearby warehouse. Additional information provided to officers indicated the intruder might be armed with a revolver. Officers from the Logan City Police Department, the Utah Highway Patrol, and the North Park Police Department responded to assist the sheriff’s office.
The combined forces established a containment perimeter and secured the warehouse to conduct a search. Shortly into the operation, officers received a report that a suspect matching Semau’s description had jumped a fence just outside the established perimeter line.
Following extensive follow-up investigative work on Wednesday, July 22, law enforcement officially verified that Semau was the driver during the pursuits. He was subsequently located and taken into custody without further incident.
Semau was booked into the Cache County Jail. Authorities noted he is being held without bail due to an extensive criminal history involving vehicle pursuits and repeatedly endangering the community.
“Interoperability like this demonstrates the strength of our inter-agency teamwork,” Bartschi said in an agency statement. “Individuals who believe they can evade the law and continuously endanger the public will be held responsible for their criminal conduct.”
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.