Why Blue is Standing Out at Juab

Remembering a Fallen Cop

As we may know, on May 5th, early Sunday morning, emergency officials chased a man in a stolen semi driving recklessly down the freeway. The story is a man looking in his late 50s, with a gray beard, driving north in a stolen semi. Then suddenly, during the chase, the semi truck driver flipped around making a U-turn and crashed into the officers, instantly killing an officer that was stationed in Santaquin. Mona and Nephi both were shut down, issuing a lock in place due to the murderer that was now heading towards that area. Police, calling for backup, had helicopters in the air, units on the ground, and swat on their way.

It was evident that they would not rest until the man was caught and placed in custody. The man’s vehicle was found at the Mona church, another bread crumb pointing police in the right direction. Finally, the man was found in Vernal just north east from Mona. In honor of the fallen unit, the freeway was shut down on one side to hold a honorary procession to carry the body down the freeway. Word got out about this incident and to our small community we knew we had to do something.

So after text messages and Instagram posts that students shared with each other, creating a message in chain mail, the word spread for students to honor the fallen cop by wearing blue the next day. People on Facebook went crazy with the question, “Is there still church?” When Magenta McDonald was asked about her feelings on the lockdown, she answered with, “It was nerve racking, but I’m glad the police were there.” Many people expressed their feelings about how the police and emergency officials searched their private property. Motorhomes and campers were searched along with basements, sheds, and barns. Another Juab student, who asked to go anonymous, expressed their feelings by saying, “IDK brotha they shut down my church and my grandma took away my rights.” And while it is interesting to hear about what small experiences the people watching this have, overall we are all devastated for the family of the officer. So, on Monday, May 6th, most of Juab honored the fall cop by dressing in blue.