KSLTV.com
SALT LAKE CITY – Hundreds of Utahns lied to law enforcement in 2024.
From falsehoods about basic information such as a name or date of birth, to total fabrications of serious accusations that could carry hefty penalties for the accused – those lies landed people in court.
Utah lawmakers want to know how often false reports of crime are happening. Recently passed legislation calls for prosecutors to submit this data each year, starting in January 2026.
Working with prosecutors and the Utah court system, the KSL Investigators parsed through hundreds of cases in which people were charged with providing false information to police across the state in 2024.
The findings offer a glimpse at who is lying about crime in Utah, and why.
In January 2024, Utah Valley University police officer Isaac Petersen saw a sight he would not easily forget: A man riding a blue motorcycle with long blond hair sticking out of the back of his helmet. One of the bike’s taillights was burnt out. There was a distinct decal on the exhaust. And the license plate read, ‘IDIOT.’
“There were really distinguishable factors,” Petersen said. “He drew my attention because he was waving his arms around on his bike while he was driving.”
Petersen tried to pull him over after he saw the man speeding and entering an oncoming traffic lane to pass other vehicles, but ended the chase after the motorcycle driver nearly hit a UTA bus.
“He almost plowed right into the side of that bus,”...
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