CEDAR CITY — Two people were arrested in Cedar City on Sunday following a high-speed chase that started in Hurricane and reportedly reached speeds up to 113 mph.
Hurricane Police Officer Dan Raddatz told Cedar City News that one of the department’s officers spotted a stolen vehicle that had been involved in a pursuit the previous week involving Washington City Police.
“The officer recognized the car, ran the plate and confirmed it was the same car that was wanted in that incident,” Raddatz said.
However, when the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop at approximately 4:15 p.m., the driver reportedly began driving recklessly and pulling away from him.
The ensuing police pursuit went onto northbound Interstate 15, Raddatz said, reaching the triple-digit speeds. Officers in Cedar City ended up deploying spike strips to flatten the vehicle’s tires at approximately mile marker 58, just north of the first Cedar City exit.
After the disabled vehicle, described as a light blue passenger car, was stopped, one of the occupants threw a baggie out the window that officers later recovered and which contained a substance suspected to be methamphetamine, Raddatz said.
The two occupants of the car were arrested and taken to Washington County’s Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane. Meanwhile, the vehicle, which had been reported as stolen out of Washington City, was towed and impounded.
The right lane of northbound I-15 was closed for more than an hour while responding officers investigated and worked to clear the scene.
The man and woman arrested Sunday evening in connection with the incident were identified by jail booking records as Tyler J. Baker and Alfreida Simpson.
Multiple charges were filed against Baker, 32, on Monday morning, including receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony; failure to stop at command of police, a third-degree felony; and misdemeanor charges of tampering with evidence, drug possession, reckless driving and driving on a suspended or revoked license.
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.
Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained.
Updated Nov. 22, 11 p.m. to include charges filed earlier Monday.
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