By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Nevada man was arrested late Thursday night after Utah Highway Patrol troopers responded to a report of a fire burning inside a vehicle along Interstate 15 in Iron County.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, troopers were dispatched shortly after 11:20 p.m. on Jan. 16 to a fire near milepost 68.
When the responding officer arrived around 11:32 p.m., he found a white van parked along the roadway with one male occupant. The driver told the officer he had run out of gas and started a fire inside the van to stay warm.
The man identified himself as Johnathan Alberto Barahona, 34, of Las Vegas.
A records check showed Barahona’s Nevada driver license was suspended and that he had multiple out-of-state warrants, including warrants from Nevada and Tennessee. The vehicle’s license plate also returned as stolen out of Las Vegas, according to the affidavit.
Barahona told the officer he had borrowed the van from a friend who instructed him to drive it to Wyoming. During a search, officers located the vehicle’s keys in his front right pocket.
Barahona was taken into custody without incident and transported to the Iron County Jail.
He was booked on suspicion of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony, and driving on a suspended or revoked license, a misdemeanor. Court records indicate Barahona also has an active warrant out of Nevada for larceny and failure to appear.
The affidavit states investigators believe Barahona poses a flight risk due to having no ties to Utah.