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Utah drivers to see enhanced penalties in July 1 road rage law, will it help?

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Utah drivers to see enhanced penalties in July 1 road rage law, will it help?


SALT LAKE CITY — Utah’s recently passed road rage law takes effect July 1, but one of the lawmakers who crafted it says the law alone can only go so far in curbing Utah’s road rage problem.

The law criminalizes road rage as “an incident that occurred or escalated upon a roadway and with the intent to endanger or intimidate an individual in another vehicle.”

It then enhances reckless driving penalties.

For example, it takes a Class B misdemeanor and enhances it to a Class A. The same happens with a Class A misdemeanor, which is enhanced to a 3rd-degree felony.

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The law will increase fines starting at $750 and can go as high as $1,000. The perpetrator’s driver’s license will be revoked, and they could have up to 15 years of jail time, which are some of the stiffer penalties.

If someone uses a dangerous weapon, penalties could be enhanced further.

Law enforcement promises to aggressively hold road-rage drivers accountable

State Sen. Todd Weiler, R-District 8, helped craft the new law but said the law alone can only do so much.

“I think we need people to be good citizens. We need law enforcement to step up and be actively patrolling these situations. We need prosecutors to prosecute appropriately. But at least for now, until we get more data, I think the legislature has done what it can,” he said.

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The law will also allow the state to collect more data on when road rage incidents are happening. It requires courts to report the number of offenses and enhancements to the Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Interim Committee no later than November 1, 2027.

Weiler said it’s possible tweaks could happen if the data calls for it.

“We want to give people an incentive to be good citizens and be good drivers and a disincentive from being jerks out there on the road,” he said.

Shooter questioned and released after Clearfield road rage shooting left another man dead

Money from the enhanced fines goes into a fund that will help fund future education and media campaigns.

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“I think we saw that during the drought two years ago when people were educated, they started conserving water without government mandates per se. And so we’re hoping to see a similar effect here,” Weiler said.

In January, Road to Zero Fatalities ran an ad called “In the Blink of an Eye,” which outlines everything that could be lost – family, freedom, and loved ones – if you choose to get mad while driving.

Weiler echoed that sentiment, saying that it “takes two to tango” when it comes to road rage, but urged the person who reacts to an aggressive driver to think twice.

“Count to ten and take a deep breath, and just let that jerk go by because if you engage them, it might get ten times worse,” he said.

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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized

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Utah mom accused of kidnapping autistic son’s 11-year-old bully until he apologized


A Utah mother allegedly kidnapped her autistic son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up.

Shannon Tufuga, 40, was slapped with kidnapping charges Monday after she rolled up on her son’s 11-year-old bully while he was riding his bike around his neighborhood in early September, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com.

Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged.

Shannon Tufuga allegedly kidnapped her son’s bully and kept him at her home until he apologized — then threatened to have her husband beat him up. Facebook

She allegedly hightailed it back to her home in Provo, Utah, and kept the boy there until he apologized to her son.

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The boy readily apologized, but even then, the vengeful mom wouldn’t let up, according to the police report. She “threatened to have her husband beat up” the accused bully and sneered that he “was lucky she did not run over his bike,” the documents alleged.

Tufuga eventually drove the shell-shocked boy back to his home.

The alleged kidnapping caused the boy “serious emotional distress” over the following months, and he now suffers from “high anxiety and has had to alter his daily routines significantly,” according to the charging documents.


Tufuga was
Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and corralled into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged. Facebook

Tufuga was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, both as second-degree felonies. The charges were lowered from first-degree felonies after the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined that a “reduction would be in the interests of justice.”

Tufuga’s son is on the autism spectrum, according to a post on her Facebook.

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors

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Jazz Injury Report Rules Out 7 Players vs. Raptors


The Utah Jazz are set to face off against the Toronto Raptors to kick off their new week for their second of two meetings across this season, where the Jazz in particular have ruled out a total of seven names on their injury report.

Here’s what the injury landscape looks like for the Jazz and Raptors rolling into the night:

Utah Jazz Injury Report

OUT – Isaiah Collier (hamstring)

OUT – Keyonte George (hamstring)

OUT – Jaren Jackson Jr. (knee)

OUT – Walker Kessler (shoulder)

OUT – Lauri Markkanen (hip)

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OUT – Jusuf Nurkic (nose)

OUT – Blake Hinson (two-way)

QUESTIONABLE – Cody Williams (shoulder)

It’s much of the same from what the Jazz have been dealing with across the past couple of weeks.

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Keyonte George and Lauri Markkanen still remain out with their minor injuries that they’ve suffered past the All-Star break, and Walker Kessler, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Jusuf Nurkic remain out for the year with their respective season-ending injuries.

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However, the two names that stick out on this injury report against the Raptors in particular are their two first round picks from the 2024 NBA Draft; Isaiah Collier who’s out with a hamstring injury, while Cody Williams is the latest to be among those listed with a shoulder issue.

For Collier, it’s set to be a third-straight game that he’s been out due to what’s been labeled hamstring soreness, and thus leave the Jazz without both their starting and second-string point guard for the night.

That could lead to either two-way signee Elijah Harkless getting a starting nod for a second straight game following his elevation against the Philadelphia 76ers, or that spot could go to 10-day signing Kennedy Chandler, who played 35 minutes in that same game for a career-high 19 points in his team debut.

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Mar 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz guard Kennedy Chandler (0) warms up before the game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

As for Williams, he’s been downgraded to questionable for the action due to shoulder soreness; something that could leave him still able to go before tip-off, but remains to be seen based on how he feels before gametime.

The second-year forward has been on a hot streak as of late. In his past five games, he’s averaged an impressive 19.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists, shooting 50.0% from the field throughout.

If Williams is out of the mix, it’ll leave their frontcourt a bit more shorthanded from what they’ve been used to across the past couple of weeks, and might lead to even more minutes for guys like 10-day signee Bez Mbeng and two-way big man Oscar Tshiebwe to fill those minutes.

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Toronto Raptors Injury Report

OUT – Immanuel Quickley (foot)

OUT – Jakob Poeltl (rest)

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QUESTIONABLE – Collin Murray-Boyles (illness)

When it comes to the Raptors, they’ll be without a couple of guys on their roster, Immanuel Quickley who’s slated to miss out due to a foot injury, while Jakob Poeltl won’t be playing for Toronto’s second leg of a back-to-back following their previous battle against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday.

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Collin Murray-Boyles, on the other hand, has been upgraded to questionable against the Jazz with an illness after previously being out against the Nuggets over the weekend.

Tip-off between the Jazz and Raptors lands at 9 p.m. MT in the Delta Center, where Toronto will have their chance at a 2-0 series sweep over Utah depending on the results.



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POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth

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POST-GAME: André Tourigny 3.22.26 | Utah Mammoth


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