Man arrested on injury to property, stalking charges after police pursuit
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The following is a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office on Monday.
A man wanted in connection to a series of vandalisms and disturbances was arrested yesterday morning after eluding deputies. Thirty-three-year-old Roman J. Riojas was being sought by deputies since April 8th after receiving reports of threatening phone calls to a residence in the 500 S. block of 52nd East. Mr. Rojas was reported as making verbal threats of physical harm over the phone to the resident and shortly after showing up at the residence, throwing rocks toward the property and causing a disturbance. That evening, just after midnight, Mr. Riojas was observed by the homeowner outside of the residence breaking bottles and smashing the windows of a vehicle, causing over $2,000 in damage. Riojas fled the area before deputies could intercept him.
On the morning of April 9, deputies took a report of smashed windows in a vehicle at a residence on the 5000 N. block of Marbrisa Lane. Deputies had previously responded to that location for domestic disturbances involving Mr. Riojas, resulting in a protection order prohibiting him from being at or contacting victims who lived there. At that time, Mr. Riojas had not been located by deputies and served the order.
Deputies continued searching for Riojas in connection to the incidents at both 52nd East and Marbrisa Lane, but he was not located until yesterday morning around 10 a.m. when neighbors saw him parked on Marbrisa Lane and called dispatch. An arriving deputy spotted Riojas driving on Marbrisa Lane and attempted to stop him, but he fled at a high rate of speed. Riojas reached speeds near 70 mph, running a stop sign and driving into the oncoming traffic lane to avoid tire deflation devices before deputies quickly discontinued their pursuit out of safety concerns for the public. Area law enforcement was notified to be on the lookout for Mr. Riojas.
A short while later, Idaho State Police troopers intercepted Mr. Riojas near a relative’s residence in the Shelley area and were able to take him into custody. ISP troopers transferred Mr. Riojas to a deputy, who after getting a medical clearance at the hospital transported him to the Bonneville County Jail. During transport, Mr. Riojas attempted to injure himself with seatbelts in both the ISP and Bonneville County Sheriff’s vehicles, resulting in deputies transferring him to the medical clearance and jail restrained in an ambulance from the Idaho Falls Fire Department.
Mr. Riojas was booked into the Bonneville County Jail for felony malicious injury to property and issued a citation for misdemeanor eluding. Additional charges on Mr. Riojas relating to phone Harassment, stalking, and domestic battery as part of this series of incidents are still pending.