MIDVALE, Utah, April 4, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — A Midvale man who reportedly told police he grabbed the steering wheel and steered his alleged kidnapper’s vehicle toward a patrol car in Lehi has been charged with criminal mischief.
Passenger Yosef Zewdie Amha, 33, has been charged in Fourth District Court with:
- Criminal mischief, a second-degree felony
- Reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor.
The vehicle’s driver, Joshua Jacob Bavaro, 40, was arrested for investigation of alleged:
- Kidnapping, a second-degree felony
- Driving under the influence, a class B misdemeanor
- Refusing a chemical test, a class B misdemeanor
Charges have not been filed yet for Bavaro.
Amha’s arrest document says Utah Highway Patrol troopers were on Interstate 15 near Lehi at 12:32 a.m. on March 21, conducting a DUI investigation with three patrol vehicles with emergency lights activated, when the vehicle hit one of the patrol vehicles, missing the troopers by an estimated three feet before coming to a stop in the far right lane…