By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A California man is facing multiple felony charges after authorities say he led troopers on a high-speed chase through a construction zone before deputies allegedly found nearly 40 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle.
Daniel Flores, 26, was arrested May 27 and booked into the Iron County Jail on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop and aggravated assault.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper observed a white Mercedes traveling about 86 mph in a marked 70 mph construction zone near mile marker 51 on Interstate 15 around 11 p.m. Wednesday.
A black Range Rover following behind the Mercedes then “suddenly accelerated” and began weaving through traffic, court records state.
The Range Rover reportedly exited onto the shoulder, struck a construction sign and later re-entered the freeway while leaving behind “a visible fluid trail.”
Troopers attempted a traffic stop, but officers said the driver continued southbound at speeds exceeding 100 mph through the construction area.
“The Range Rover nearly struck construction vehicles as it entered the construction zone,” the affidavit states. “Several workers were in the area actively working as the vehicle continued driving through the area.”
The vehicle eventually stopped near the construction zone, where the driver allegedly exited and fled on foot across the freeway before officers. He was later located hiding in a culvert on the southbound side of I-15.
Investigators later deployed a police K-9 around the exterior of the vehicle. According to the affidavit, the dog alerted to the odor of narcotics, leading deputies to obtain a search warrant for the Range Rover. During the search, authorities said they discovered 40 – 1 pound bags of methamphetamine inside a sealed brown box in the cargo area.
Court documents state Flores was also driving on a suspended California driver license at the time of the arrest.