By Tracie Sullivan, for Iron County Today
A traffic stop in Cedar City escalated quickly after authorities uncovered a stolen vehicle and a stash of illegal drugs inside.
Seth Avery Deen, 54, and Saundra Cole, 50, were arrested Sept. 1 after a Utah Highway Patrol trooper ran a license plate check on the car they were driving.
According to court documents filed in 5th District Court, the incident began when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper patrolling near Exit 62 on Interstate 15 ran a license plate check on a light blue Mercury sedan with Kansas plates.
The search showed that the vehicle had been reported stolen, prompting an immediate traffic stop. Upon further investigation, the officer found methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle, leading to Deen and Cole’s arrest.
The affidavit alleges Deen, the driver, exhibited signs of drug impairment.
“I observed that the driver had pinpoint and bloodshot eyes,” the officer wrote in the court documents. “The driver also has a criminal history for dangerous drugs and has a warrant for his arrest for dangerous drugs”
After being informed of his rights and the option to refuse, Deen consented to a blood test, with the results still pending.
Deen is facing one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony, one count of possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony. He was also charged with several misdemeanors related to driving under the influence, driving on a revoked or suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia.
In court documents filed in Cole’s case, the trooper noted that her eyes were also bloodshot. She reportedly admitted to the officer she had used methamphetamine 10 days prior.
In addition, her name also appeared in the officer’s search results as being connected to the stolen vehicle, the affidavit stated.
Cole faces one count of possession of a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony, and two misdemeanor charges for possession of drugs and paraphernalia.
Both Cole and Deen are currently being held in the Iron County Jail without bail.