Paroled Killer Starts Chase, Causes 3-Vehicle Crash

A paroled murderer in a stolen car led authorities on a brief chase, causing a collision involving three vehicles, police report.

No one was seriously hurt in the Saturday crash. Police say the driver of the stolen car was Frank Cliff Jones, 46, who was booked into the Bonneville County Jail.

His bond was set at $75,000 on Monday and a Feb. 10 preliminary hearing was scheduled on eluding an officer, two counts of grand theft and possession of a controlled substance, jail officers said.

The chase began after Jones left his motel room. Officers, who had been watching for Jones, tried to block him in, but he sped away on slick roads.

At an intersection, Officer David Barker was unable to stop his patrol car and struck Jones’ car. Jones was knocked into the oncoming lane and hit a pickup head-on. Jones surrendered at the scene, reports said.

The truck driver, Vern Ford, 59, had just left the lot of Broadway Ford to take the pickup on a test drive. His 7-year-old granddaughter hit her head on the dashboard in the crash and complained of neck pain, reports said.

“They rammed him and shoved him clear into us,” Ford said. Police say Jones will probably have to pay for the pickup.

The chase began after an officer found a stolen car in the motel parking lot, belonging to Todd and Wendy Anderson of Pocatello.