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December 20, 2001 By Aspen C. Emmett With weapons drawn, police surrounded a local trailer house and took into custody a man accused of shooting and critically injuring another man in Salt Lake City last week.
Twenty-year-old Richard Anthony Chihocky was arrested without incident at a home near the Maverik convenience store on North Broadway shortly before 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. He is being held at the Montezuma County Detentions Center on a $500,000 bond on charges of attempted criminal homicide and aggravated robbery, according to Assistant Cortez Police Chief Russ Johnson. Area businesses, including the Maverik, were under lock-down while Tuesday morning’s events unfolded. "We had received information that this guy was down here possibly staying with a friend," Johnson told the Journal. "We were told he was a suspect in a shooting in Salt Lake on Dec. 13. The Cortez detective division contacted the Salt Lake City Police Department and confirmed that Chihocky was a suspect in the shooting." By early morning Tuesday, the Cortez Police Department and Montezuma County Sheriff’s Officet had set up surveillance just outside the residence and at approximately 9:25 a.m., a vehicle left the home with two occupants, John said. Officers did not have a good picture of Chihocky to go by but were aware of several distinctive tattoos. Law officers stopped the vehicle near Empire Electric, but the suspect was not either of the two occupants. However, officers were able to confirm Chihocky was in the trailer house that was under stake-out. "A telephone call was made by the MCSO to the residence and they were told to come out," Johnson explained. "A short time later, three males exited the trailer and the suspect was taken into custody. "There were lots of guns drawn — when he’s shot somebody, you don’t want to take any chances," Johnson said. Chihocky reportedly has family in Cortez and has lived in the area at times. According to a press release from the Salt Lake City Police Department, around 8 a.m. on Dec. 13, Chihocky was allegedly observed shoplifting several DVDs from a ShopKo superstore in downtown Salt Lake. An employee, Josh Newell, 22, chased the suspect about a half-mile west of the store, where he tackled the shoplifter. Chihocky then allegedly pulled out a handgun and fired two shots at Newell, hitting him once in the stomach. The suspect then fled the scene on foot and remained on the lam until Tuesday. Newell, who was transported to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake remained in critical condition, according to hospital spokesperson Jess Gomez on Wednesday. "He hasn’t been upgraded at all — he remains in critical condition," Gomez said. Johnson said that a hospital source told him Newell will likely survive, despite his unimproved status. Chihocky was formally charged with attempted criminal homicide and aggravated robbery in Salt Lake County Tuesday. The shooting elevated the retail theft, defined by Utah’s criminal code as a Class B misdemeanor punishable by six months in jail and $1,000 in fines, to the more severe charges, punishable by one to 15 years in prison. District Attorney Joe Olt said he had already signed the paperwork to have Chihocky extradited to Utah, where he will stand trial. Chihocky has pleaded guilty to a plethora of misdemeanor charges dating back to 1995, from shoplifting to possession of drugs and battery, the Salt Lake Tribune reported Wednesday. Chihocky was not armed at the time of arrest nor were drugs or alcohol believed to be a factor Tuesday.
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Copyright © 2001 the Cortez
Journal. All rights reserved. |
