LUIS DAVID CUEVAS

On May 14, 2018, Luis David Cuevas, 18, of Payson, Utah, was sentenced for 5 years to life at the Utah State Prison for Aggravated Robbery, Theft by Receiving Stolen Property, and Failure to Respond to Officer's Signal to Stop.

Aggravated Robbery (first-degree felony): On October 7, 2017, two men wearing blue bandannas over their faces and one man wearing a ski mask entered a Texaco on State Street in Orem. One of the men showed a gun to the cashier and demanded that she give them the money in the till, which totaled about $150. The three men then ran out of the store and fled in a black Honda Civic which had been stolen earlier that day from Springville. Cuevas admitted to officers that he was one of the persons involved in the armed robbery.

Theft by Receiving Stolen Property (third-degree felony): During the early morning hours of October 7, 2017, in Springville, a black Honda Civic was stolen. The vehicle was used that same day to commit armed robberies in Orem and Sanpete County. The vehicle was later found abandoned in Spanish Fork. The investigation into the robberies led to Luis David Cuevas. He was interviewed and admitted to being the "get-away driver" for the robberies. He also indicated that although he didn't steal the vehicle, he knew that the vehicle was stolen. Cuevas admitted to being the person who eventually ditched the car in Spanish Fork.

Failure to Respond to Officer's Signal to Stop (third-degree felony): On October 9, 2017, a sheriff's deputy patrolling in Orem noticed a white Kia Optima, with a distinctive black stripe, that had been reported stolen in Mt. Pleasant. The vehicle had also been used in an armed robbery in Mt. Pleasant. The deputy confirmed that the license plate on the vehicle matched the stolen vehicle and prepared to make a traffic stop. The white Kia Optima quickly accelerated away from the deputy, passing another vehicle on the left and failing to stop at a stop sign. The deputy turned on his lights and siren, but the vehicle did not stop. It pulled into a cul-de-sac and the deputy blocked the vehicle's exit with his patrol vehicle. The deputy was able to get a clear view of the driver at that time. The white Kia Optima then accelerated through the front yard of a residence to escape. The chase continued as the Optima drove through red lights, cut through a parking lot, and accelerated up to 65 mph on city residential streets. The white Kia Optima sped onto I-15, travelling southbound and up to speeds of 100 mph, swerving in and out of traffic. The vehicle exited the highway in Springville and was shortly thereafter located abandoned in a church parking lot. A witness reported seeing the occupants of the Optima jumping over a fence. One of the occupants, Cuevas, was located and detained, and the sheriff's deputy recognized the distinctive facial features of Cuevas as being consistent with the person he saw driving the stolen vehicle during their encounter in the cul-de-sac in Orem.

Luis David Cuevas pleaded guilty to these charges on March 19, 2018.

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Luis David Cuevas