By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A 27-year-old man was recently arrested after Utah Highway Patrol troopers stopped a vehicle reported stolen out of California.
Tywion Harris was taken into custody at approximately 9:27 p.m. Feb. 11. According to the charging documents filed in 5th District Court, a trooper observed the northbound Ford sedan traveling northbound on Interstate 15 near mile marker 64.
After confirming the vehicle had been reported stolen, troopers waited for additional units to arrive before stopping the car and taking the driver into custody using a high-risk stop. This tactic allows officers to control the scene and remove the driver from a safe distance.
Harris was identified as the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle and was taken into custody at the scene.
During a search of the car, the trooper reported finding raw marijuana, a smoked marijuana cigarette and a THC vape pen with cartridges.
“The driver and the inside of the vehicle both smelled like marijuana,” the affidavit states.
The report also notes Harris was not wearing his seat belt properly.
“The driver seat was still buckled, which indicates that the seat belt had been buckled, and the suspect was sitting on top of it instead of wearing his seat belt,” court records state.
Harris allegedly told the trooper he had “just been arrested” earlier that day and still had a Los Angeles County jail wristband in his possession at the time of the stop.
Court documents further show the trooper believed the circumstances supported continued detention due to the primary offense being a felony and Harris having been released from custody earlier the same day.
Harris was booked into the Iron County Jail late that night on suspicion of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony. He is also facing two misdemeanor counts for possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, along with an infraction for an alleged seat belt violation.