Local Business owner arrested, suspected of vehicular crime spree

SALT LAKE CITY— Following a crash inside a car wash, a requested exchange of information turned into a multi-jurisdictional investigation, leading to the arrest of a local business owner on suspicion of a dozen crimes and infractions.

Jeffrey Todd Palmer, 59, was arrested on Monday after allegedly committing a dozen crimes, ranging from infractions to a third-degree felony.

According to a bookings affidavit, on Sunday, officers responded to a car wash located at 9760 S. 700 East to investigate a crash inside the car wash, where they identified Palmer as “causing a collision with a sedan in front of his vehicle.”

The document states that in conversations between a Sandy police officer and Palmer, “Palmer became belligerent … stating that he was not going to (exchange insurance information) and was going to go home,” leading to a call for backup.

Once other officers arrived, a police sergeant attempted to talk to Palmer, and “Palmer replied by flipping (the) Sergeant off and refused to roll down his window.”

During the investigation, a plan was created to remove the vehicles from the automated car wash, according to the affidavit.

Officers on the scene concluded that the best way to remove the vehicles from the car was to turn it back on, effectively finishing the wash cycle for both vehicles before attempting to get Palmer to exchange insurance information.

Following the extrication, Palmer exited the car wash and turned around the officer stationed at the end of the wash tunnel, fleeing from police and “entered southbound travel lanes on 700 East without stopping or using his turn signal,” according to the affidavit.

The next day, officers with the Saratoga Springs Police Department contacted Palmer, attempting to take him into custody. As he was being placed into custody, Palmer “resisted and physically struck both officers.” During the confrontation, Palmer also stated that “if (Palmer) had his gun, he would’ve shot (officers) in the head for bending him over while trying to get him into custody.”

The affidavit states that Palmer has been involved with two other hit-and-run cases, one on April 26 at the same car wash and another on June 4, 2021, investigated by Utah Highway Patrol.

Palmer was arrested on suspicion of a dozen charges, including:

• Failure to stop or respond to a police command, a third-degree felony;
• three counts of failure to comply with duties at a vehicle accident resulting in property damage, a class B misdemeanor;
• four counts of interfering with a peace officer, a class B misdemeanor;
• driving without registration, an infraction;
• failure to signal, an infraction;
• unsafe emergence from an alley or driveway, an infraction, and;
• speeding, an infraction.