Uintah Detective Dies from Helicopter Crash Injuries
VERNAL — A Uintah County sheriff’s detective critically injured when a helicopter crashed into the Green River died early Wednesday morning at LDS Hospital.
Detective Cpl. Kevin Orr, 34, sustained catastrophic injuries on Tuesday afternoon when the helicopter he was riding in clipped an unmarked power line hanging across the river and plummeted into the water below.
“He was an outstanding family man, an outstanding officer,” said Uintah County Sheriff’s Lt. Keith Campbell. “He was always willing to go the extra mile to achieve his goals.”
Helicopter pilot Brian Grayson of Reno, Nev., remains at University of Utah Medical Center. Hospital officials declined to release Grayson’s condition, at his request.
Campbell said the two men were participating in a joint air and ground search for a 25-year-old Jensen woman missing since Nov. 17. Several members of the ground search team witnessed the crash and pulled Orr and Grayson from the river.
The investigation into the disappearance of Kimberly Michelle Turney, whose abandoned car was discovered in flames on a road parallel to the river, remains active despite Tuesday’s accident, Campbell said.
Court records show that Turney has been the victim of domestic violence in the past. Since 2001, the mother of two small children has sought at least four protective orders against two different men, three of them against her current boyfriend.
Turney has also had recent legal troubles of her own. She had been scheduled to make an initial appearance in Provo’s 4th District Court this past Monday on a felony DUI charge and a misdemeanor charge of failing to report an accident, but she went missing the Friday before her court appointment. The charges stem from an Oct. 11 arrest in Spanish Fork.
Campbell said investigators have interviewed several people, including Turney’s boyfriend, but have nothing to indicate that the missing woman is the victim of a crime. The lieutenant also declined to speculate if Turney’s pending court date may have played a role in her disappearance.
“To this minute, we don’t have anything that would indicate foul play,” Campbell said. “We’re just trying to locate her and check her welfare.”
Investigators are concerned that Turney may have been injured in a single-car crash that preceded the Nov. 17 car fire and wandered away from the scene.
On Wednesday, about 40 community members converged at the site where Turney’s car was found to launch their own impromptu search. Campbell said authorities are following up on every piece of information they have received so far and are hoping that the public can help them locate Turney.
Anyone with information about Turney is asked to call the Uintah County Sheriff’s Department at (435) 722-2511.
Detective Orr’s funeral service is set for Saturday in Maeser. The 11-year veteran of the sheriff’s department leaves behind a wife and four children.
SOURCE: Geoff Liesik Deseret Morning News
