CEDAR CITY – One Louisiana man is in jail on $100,000 bail after a high-speed chase March 25 that ended when the car crashed and rolled multiple times throwing the passenger from the vehicle .
Montana James Guidry, 19, was charged with two second-degree felonies for evading a police officer resulting in serious injury or death and possession of a stolen vehicle, and three class B misdemeanors for driving under the influence of drugs, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Guidry was booked into the Iron County Correctional Facility.
The passenger, Strodey James Richard, 18, was transported and treated at Valley View Hospital for injuries and later released the same day to the custody of the jail on similar charges. His bail is $70,000 and is bondable.
Guidry was driving southbound on Interstate-15 when Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Brian Bairett reportedly clocked him traveling 92 miles per hour three miles north of Cedar City.
According to charging documents, Bairett pulled the gold Toyota Corolla over at milepost 63.
Guidry allegedly told the trooper he had no identification, driver license, vehicle registration or insurance information.
Bairett reportedly could smell marijuana and told the two he would have to do a search of the car. When asked to comply, Guidry sped off.
“The driver at that point hit the gas and took off from the stop,” Bairett stated in the documents. “I got into my patrol car and began pursuing the car.”
Guidry took the milepost 62 southbound off ramp and headed north on state Route 130 Minersville Highway.
Documents state the chase continued for 33-miles from the exit, when the car rolled and threw the passenger.
Guidry allegedly admitted that he and the passenger had stolen the keys to the car the night before from a woman they were staying with at the time in Twin Falls, Idaho. The two were reportedly heading to Texas.
Guidry told police he had smoked marijuana that morning just before being stopped on the freeway, court records state. A blood sample was taken at the hospital and sent to the Salt Lake City lab for official testing.
Police searched the vehicle and the wreckage allegedly finding several items of drug paraphernalia, marijuana and an open container of alcohol.
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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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Thank you, officer, for getting these idiots off of the highway that I travel frequently.