CEDAR CITY — The two occupants of a Lamborghini that had been reported stolen out of Las Vegas on New Year’s Eve are each facing multiple charges in Iron County.
As previously reported in St. George News, the multiagency traffic stop near the Hamilton Fort exit a few miles south of Cedar City resulted in the temporary closure of both sides of Interstate 15, in addition to the adjacent Old Highway 91 frontage road.
Following a standoff with officers, the male driver and his female passenger, both of whom were described by police as “non-compliant,” were arrested and taken into custody. They pair were subsequently identified as Ricardo Cora, 41, of New York and Jennifer Soto, 21, of Pennsylvania.
According to the probable cause statements filed in support of their arrests, both Cora and Soto were initially resistant to exiting the high-performance sports car, which had been reported stolen from a Las Vegas automobile dealership.
“The driver repeatedly said that he was going to keep driving to New York and to not pursue him,” the arresting Utah Highway Patrol trooper wrote in the affidavit.
When Cora eventually got out of the car, he removed several knives from his person and placed them on the ground, according to the statement.
However, the pair still resisted apprehension, with Cora allegedly kicking one member of the Iron County Metro SWAT team in the face and another in the chest as they attempted to subdue him.
Eventually, officers deployed a Taser on both suspects and took them into custody. Cora and Soto were booked into Iron County Jail later that same evening, on Dec. 31, 2022.
According to the charging documents filed with the court, Cora faces one count of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony, and one count of failure to respond to an officer’s command to stop, a third-degree felony.
He also faces multiple misdemeanor charges, including unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, interfering with an arrest, possession of a controlled substance, driving on a suspended or revoked license and two counts of assault on a police officer.
According to the probable cause affidavit, at the time of his arrest, Cora was on pretrial release for an unrelated case wherein he allegedly shot at police officers in California
Meanwhile, Soto also faces similar felony charges of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle and failing to respond to an officer’s commands. She also faces misdemeanor charges of interfering with an arrest and possession of drugs and paraphernalia.
Both defendants made their initial court appearances on Wednesday before 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen, who ordered that they each continue to be held without bail at Iron County Jail. Their next scheduled court date is a waiver hearing on Jan. 24.
This report is based on information provided by court documents and law enforcement personnel and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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