Suspect to appear in court for allegedly stealing pizza delivery vehicle in Hurricane

Hurricane Police vehicle stock photo | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A woman who is accused of stealing an SUV from a pizza delivery driver in November 2020 while the employee was stopped at a residence delivering food is scheduled to appear in 5th District Court on Tuesday on a $5,000 warrant issued after the arrest.

Nichole Sheree Estrada, 33, of Hurricane, booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, Jan. 28, 2021 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

On Thursday, 33-year-old Nichole Estrada was arrested by officers in Hurricane on an outstanding warrant issued Jan. 15 out of 5th District Court in connection with a case filed in November 2020 involving the theft of a motor vehicle, according to charging documents filed with the court.

The incident began Nov. 21, 2020 shortly after 7 p.m., when officers responded to a residence in the area of East 350 North after a pizza delivery person called 911 to report that her vehicle was stolen.

The employee told officers she pulled up near the residence and stopped on the south side of the street, leaving her Nissan Morano SUV running with the doors unlocked as she got out and went to the residence to deliver the food.

As she did so, the report states, the employee noticed an individual walking east on 350 North in the direction of where the Nissan was parked. Seconds later, she said, she noticed the SUV backing up rapidly and then watched as it sped away in reverse toward Main Street. From there, the SUV turned and headed south.

The report also states the Nissan was equipped with a large Dominos pizza sign affixed to the roof at the time it was taken.

One of the officers, alerted to the theft, stopped the SUV when he noticed the Nissan heading west on State Street. The officer noted there was a sole occupant: the driver, who was later identified as Estrada.

The suspect refused to answer any questions, the report states, and since she was the sole occupant of the SUV that was reported as stolen just minutes before, in addition to the pizza employee’s statement that only one person was spotted walking down the street just prior to the car taking off, officers surmised it was Estrada who allegedly stole the vehicle.

The suspect was placed under arrest. During a search of her person prior to being transported to jail the officer recovered a glass pipe containing a crystal residue in the front pocket of the hoodie she was wearing.

Officers also located a Dixie State College student ID in another individual’s name that did not belong to the suspect. The owner of the ID was contacted and informed officers they wanted to press theft charges against the defendant.

A records check revealed that Estrada had an active warrant for her arrest and was driving on a suspended license. She was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing second-degree felony theft for the vehicle, along with misdemeanor theft, driving on a suspended license and possession of drugs and paraphernalia.

Following Thursday’s arrest, Estrada is scheduled to make an appearance in 5th District Court on the warrant on Tuesday and remains in custody at the writing of this report.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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