CEDAR CITY — A Montana man who was pulled over for traffic violations on Interstate 15 north of Cedar City on Tuesday afternoon ended up being arrested on a felony warrant.
Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Nick Street said the driver, identified as Troy Allen Mullin, 37, was found to have an extraditable homicide warrant out of Helena, Montana.
The incident began shortly after 4 p.m., when UHP Trooper Brian Bairett was in his patrol vehicle sitting stationary at mile marker 65 on northbound I-15.
“An attempt to locate broadcast for a reportedly reckless driving vehicle was put out over the radio,” UHP officials stated in news release issued Tuesday night. The release noted that multiple motorists traveling on I-15 in the area had called the Cedar City Dispatch Center and reported the vehicle had been tailgating, speeding, cutting in and out of traffic and driving aggressively.
Bairett, who was reportedly able to catch up to the suspect vehicle at about mile marker 71, then attempted to pull over the car by initiating his flashing red-and-blue lights. The driver reportedly slowed down at first, then drove away for an additional distance before ultimately pulling over a short time later.
After getting the driver’s identification card, Bairett then ran Mullin’s name through the National Crime Information Center database and determined he was a fugitive with an outstanding warrant. Mullin was arrested and taken into custody without further incident. He is currently in Iron County Jail, where he will await extradition back to Montana.
Troopers also reportedly found five empty beer cans with one half full, marijuana and drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle Mullin was operating. Mullin was alone in the vehicle, UHP added.
A social media post dated Nov. 2 from Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Helena, Montana, has a photograph of Mullin and identifies him as a wanted fugitive and a sexually violent predator who had absconded and/or violated the terms of his parole.
The vehicle, a white Dodge passenger car, was towed from the scene and relocated to a secure area, where it will be processed by technicians from the Utah State Bureau of Investigation, Street told Cedar City News.
This report is based on information provided by law enforcement 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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