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CLEARFIELD — A Clearfield woman was arrested after police say she carjacked an elderly woman's vehicle while her dog was still inside.
A SWAT team arrested Melissa Rush, 31, late Wednesday and booked her into the Davis County Jail for investigation of robbery, two counts of theft, aggravated assault, two counts of burglary of a vehicle, and trespassing.
The woman's dog — Reo, a brown and white Shih Tzu — had not been recovered as of Thursday.
Dee Thorell, 74, told KSL-TV she stopped at a Maverik, 700 S. State in Clearfield, on Sunday to get a drink. Before going inside, she left the car running with the air conditioning on for her dog, Reo, and locked the doors.
As she was walking in, she said she was approached by a woman who grabbed the key fob out of her pocket, rushed to the car and opened the driver-side door. Police say Rush had followed Thorell into the store, according to a police booking affidavit.
"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."
Police say Thorell tried to get Rush out of her car, but "Melissa put the vehicle in reverse, causing the victim to fall and hit her head on the open car door. The victim was then dragged across the parking lot and suffered a broken arm, bruising to the face and road rash lacerations along the exposed skin," the affidavit states.
"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."
Detectives who later reviewed surveillance video from the Maverik say Rush checked the doors of four other vehicles in the parking lot before approaching Thorell. Investigators also learned that Rush was banned from the store in February "due to unrelated issues Melissa had caused."
Salt Lake police spotted Rush in the stolen vehicle a couple of days later and attempted to pull her over but they say she fled from officers. Thorell's car was found wrecked and abandoned near 2300 N. Redwood Road, but the dog was not inside.
"It's awful, it's really awful," Thorell said. "I just hope he's safe somewhere. I just want him home safe and sound."
About 6 p.m. Wednesday, after police had named Rush as a person of interest in the carjacking and asked the public to be on the lookout for her, detectives received a tip that Rush was in West Haven, the affidavit states. Officers then returned to Rush's home and reported seeing both her and another man through the window. She refused, however, to open the door.
"After a warrant approval, entry into Melissa's home was made by members of SWAT. Melissa Rush and an uninvolved male party were taken into custody," the affidavit states.
The man was eventually released. Rush refused to answer questions from investigators and was booked into jail.
Rush was charged in April with several counts of child abuse and child endangerment in a separate investigation. Her next court hearing in that case is scheduled for Monday.
Contributing: Ashley Moser, Michael Houck
