Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
HEBER CITY — A Provo man was charged Monday with hitting and killing two motorcyclists in 2023 near Heber City.
Jon Jordan Flake, 61, is charged in 4th District Court with two counts of manslaughter, a second-degree felony.
On Aug, 3, 2023, Flake was driving a Honda Accord and crossing the intersection of state Route 32 and U.S. 40 when he T-boned a motorcycle, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Melinda Tuckett Romney, 53, died the next day. Her husband, Jeffrey Jay Romney, 68, was taken to a local hospital and placed in a medically induced coma until he died on Aug. 19, 2023. The Romneys were from Midway.
When questioned, Flake said he was westbound on U.S. 40, approaching the red stoplight and "continued to roll forward while waiting for it to turn green," according to the Utah Highway Patrol's final report. Flake claimed the motorcycle with the Romneys ran the red light while traveling east on River Road. Flake estimated he was going 30 mph, the report states.
However, one witness told investigators that Flake ran the red light while traveling an estimated 80 mph and hit the motorcycle as it was crossing S.R. 32, according to the report. A semitruck driver that recorded the crash on his dashboard camera also helped troopers determine what had happened.
