CLEARFIELD, Utah — Clearfield police were able to locate a car that had been stolen from a gas station over the weekend, but are still searching for the dog that was inside at the time of the theft.
Police have now identified the suspect in the carjacking as 31-year-old Melissa Rush.
According to police, Rush stole a Lexus RX350 after taking the car keys Sunday from the owner who was inside a Maverik station at 709 South State Street. With her Shih Tzu inside the car, the owner tried to prevent Rush from leaving the parking lot, but was struck by the vehicle and suffered minor injuries.
Later in the afternoon, Salt Lake City police officers identified the stolen vehicle and attempted to make a traffic stop, only for Rush to drive away.
A short time after the stop, the Lexus was found abandoned near 2300 Redwood Road, although the dog was not in the vehicle when it was located.
Police are continuing the investigation in hopes of finding Rush and the 7-year-old brown and white dog named Reo. Rush is approximately 5 feet tall with red hair.
Police said the victim and suspect did not know each other and the theft was random.
