BRIDGER VALLEY — Two Utah men are in custody after a high-speed chase in the Bridger Valley, followed by an hours-long foot chase that began in the early morning hours of Monday, Jan. 29.

According to a press release issued by the Uinta County Sheriff’s Office, Roger Slagowski, 49, of Vernal, Utah, was speeding in a red pickup on Hwy. 414 at 1:50 a.m. Monday when a deputy attempted to pull him over.

“As the deputy caught up to the vehicle,” the release states, “the driver slammed on his brakes causing the sheriff’s deputy to brake hard to avoid a crash. The red pickup truck then accelerated heavily, reaching speeds of about 80 mph … and swerving all over the roadway.”

According to the release, Slagowski then hit the brakes hard again and turned off the highway onto a well-site road, attempting to elude the deputy. At the well site, Slagowski drove through sagebrush and got stuck in a wash. He and the passenger, Carl Case, 50, took off on foot.

With help from the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Mountain View Police Department, deputies were able to apprehend Slagowski after a two-hour foot chase into the Badlands near Lonetree. 

Case wasn’t found for several hours. According to the press release, he was arrested around 9 a.m., more than seven hours after the chase began.

“Both men stated that they had fled because they had Wyoming warrants and didn’t want to go to jail,” the release states.

Slagowski was arrested on suspicion of eluding and interference with a police officer. He also had arrest warrants from the city of Evanston, Uinta County and Lincoln County. Case was arrested on suspicion of interfering with a police officer, along with a warrant from the town of Lyman.