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Salt Lake sheriff winds up in a chase

Patrick Parkinson, Of the Record staff

Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder became involved in a vehicle chase while he was driving to a training session Saturday morning in Park City, the authorities said.

Winder was driving on eastbound Interstate 80 through Parleys Canyon when he observed the operator of a Toyota Camry "driving in a strange pattern," said Lt. Don Hutson, a spokesman for the Unified Police Department in Salt Lake County.

"There was a puff of smoke so [Winder] was thinking it was maybe a mechanical problem," Hutson said.

Winder used his flashing lights to stop the car near Lambs Canyon. The sheriff was preparing to approach the vehicle when it sped off.

"First the car was put into reverse and started backing toward [Winder’s] truck," Hutson said. "The car backed up for a distance then left."

Winder chased the car in his unmarked police vehicle at freeway speeds before the driver pulled over again in the North Summit area.

The suspect, Margarita Rubio, 47, was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for attempting to evade an officer, which is a third-degree felony, Hutson said.

"She didn’t respond to an officer’s signal to stop," Hutson said. "We are still a little bit concerned about why she didn’t respond."

The Utah Highway Patrol was prepared to deploy spikes onto the road to damage the tires on the car when the woman stopped, Hutson said.

"[The suspect] apparently was driving to Denver," Hutson said. "She said she was going to visit family there."

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