By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
Iron County’s newest patrol vehicle had barely hit the dirt before it delivered its first arrest.
A brand-new Polaris RZR was still being broken in on its first official patrol when deputies spotted a driver swerving along the back roads near Three Peaks — a popular recreation area northwest of Cedar City.
Just hours into training with the off-road machine, deputies stopped 19-year-old Alton Young, who was allegedly driving impaired through the rugged terrain. He was arrested on suspicion of DUI, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, open container, failure to stay in a lane, and unlawful possession of alcohol and tobacco by a minor.
“It worked exactly the way it was supposed to,” said Lt. Shawn Peterson, who helped launch the new patrol effort. “Our deputies were on their way to train with the new machine when they saw a driver showing signs of impairment. That’s exactly the kind of thing we’re out there to stop.”
The Polaris, a fully outfitted 2024 Razor model purchased from Triple S in Cedar City, cost $29,085.99. It was funded through Utah’s beer tax grant — a program that uses revenue from alcohol sales to support enforcement and prevention of alcohol-related offenses.
The arrest also marked an unofficial kickoff to Utah’s “100 Deadliest Days of Summer,” the stretch between Memorial Day and Labor Day when impaired driving and traffic fatalities consistently rise across the state.
“This is exactly why we bought the Polaris,” Peterson said. “We needed something that could patrol the backcountry and get to the places our trucks can’t. Before the first night was even over, it already paid off.”
Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter said the off-road unit is part of a larger push to reduce crashes on mountain trails and rural roads, where law enforcement presence has historically been limited.
“Two years ago, we had four head-on OHV crashes in one summer,” Carpenter said. “Two were DUI-related. Two required lifeflight. We want people to enjoy the mountains, but we don’t want anyone seriously injured or killed. DUI is still a serious offense — whether it’s on a highway or a trail.”
The Polaris is equipped with emergency lights, a siren, a tablet, and a full radio system — essentially a patrol truck in side-by-side form. Peterson said it allows deputies to reach areas that have become increasingly crowded since the pandemic fueled a wave of outdoor recreation in Southern Utah.
“People are out in huge numbers now,” Peterson said. “What used to be back roads are now main routes. There are no hidden trails anymore. Families are out there, kids are out there. And the truth is, we’ve had too many people out on ‘booze cruises’ putting others at risk.”
Carpenter said deputies aren’t trying to stop people from enjoying a drink at their campsite — they just want to make sure it doesn’t turn into something dangerous.
“I don’t care if people go up and drink, if they drink responsibly. They can drink in their campground, drink around the campfire — we don’t care about that — but it’s not safe to be drinking while you’re operating a vehicle and that’s what the side-by-side is for is to make sure the backroads are as safe as the main ones.”
The department will rotate deputies for regular DUI enforcement patrols this summer, including weekend operations and targeted activity on holiday events.
“We want people to enjoy the mountains and the outdoors,” Carpenter said. “But don’t get behind the wheel — especially on machines that can hit 70 or 80 miles per hour on dirt.”
The Polaris will also be used to enforce DUI laws on federal land. While federal rangers have limited authority to write DUI citations on public land, Iron County deputies can — including on U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management roads, where traffic has surged in recent years.
And as more drivers head for the back hills this summer, deputies say the message is simple: if you’re drinking, don’t drive — no matter how far off the beaten path you are.
