Clearfield woman injured while fighting off suspect who stole car with dog inside
Jul 26, 2023, 12:49 PM
CLEARFIELD, Utah — A routine trip to the gas station for a soda turned into a nightmare for 74-year-old Dee Thorell.
On Sunday, Thorell stopped at a Maverik, located at 700 S. Main Street in Clearfield, to get a drink. She left the car running, her air conditioning on for her dog Reo and locked the car doors. While she ran into the store, she was approached by a strange woman.
“She reached in my pocket and grabbed my key fob and I said, ‘You just took my key out of my pocket’ and she said, ‘No I didn’t,’” she said.
Thorell then watched as the woman rushed to her car, opened the driver-side door and attempted to steal the car with Reo inside.
“I tried to yank her out of the car, but she had a real death grip on the steering wheel,” Thorell said. “I said, ‘My dog’s in the back,’ but that didn’t matter. She just wanted that car.”
Thorell was knocked to the ground and injured while the woman took off with her car.
“I have a big blood blister and a big goose egg on my head,” she said. “My arm was paining pretty bad, it was fractured.”
Clearfield police say officers located the suspect in Salt Lake City after she took off. They initiated a traffic stop but the suspect fled, and the car was found later abandoned around 2300 N. Redwood Road. Clearfield police are still looking for the suspect. Unfortunately, Reo was not inside the vehicle.
“It’s awful, it’s really awful! I just hope he’s safe somewhere,” she said. “I just want him home safe and sound.”
Thorell is hopeful the community will keep an eye out for her brown and white Shih Tzu.
“He could be in Weber County, he could be in Davis County, he could be in Salt Lake County, but who knows,” she said.
She is reminding the public that he is friendly and will respond to his name. He is also microchipped so if found, he can be identified. If you happen to see Reo, call the Clearfield Police Department.
