A female was stopped for not wearing her seat belt, then arrested for multiple violations, including a used meth syringe
- Travis Uresk
- Oct 5, 2024
- 2 min read
By Travis Uresk
10/5/24
| Vernal, Ut. | October 3rd, 2024 |
Trooper Ryan with the Utah Highway Patrol was stationary on SR-45 when a gray passenger car traveling northbound passed by. The female driver had her window down, and it was clearly seen that she wasn't wearing her seat belt.
The trooper turned around and saw her quickly turn East onto 3500 South, and initiated a traffic stop near 1600 East 3500 South.
Trooper Ryan approached the vehicle, but the female still did not have her seat belt on. The driver identified herself as 41-year-old April Marie Patrick.
April immediately stated she didn't have a driver's license and didn't know if her vehicle had insurance. She handed the trooper an insurance card from The General showing the effective date as August 8, 2024.
The trooper called the number on the paper, and the agent advised him the policy had lapsed as of September. A records check of April showed her Colorado license was revoked for habitual traffic offenders, and her Utah license was suspended for failure to appear/comply.
April consented to a vehicle search and told Trooper Ryan there was a syringe in her backpack. He asked her if the syringe had anything in it, and she said it might have some blood in it. April stated she used the syringe for meth two days ago.
Due to her admission of using meth, Trooper Ryan asked if she would consent to field sobriety tests, and she agreed.
"During HGN, I observed no official clues, but I observed impairment by her moving her head after I told her to keep it still and her not following the stimulus with her eyes at times.
During the nine step, I observed she could not keep her balance in the instruction stage. I observed her step offline on her first step and raised her arms. As she got to the ninth step, she stopped walking and asked which way she had to turn.
During the one-leg stand, I observed her sway, raised her arms, and put her foot down.
During Romberg, she estimated the passing of 30 seconds in 23 actual seconds. I asked how she estimated it, and she stated she counted 1, 2, and 3. I asked what she counted to, and she stated that she counted 25.
After tests were completed, I believed her to be too impaired to operate a motor vehicle, placed her under arrest, and taken to the Uintah County Jail."
A criminal history check of Patrick was conducted while at the jail, and it showed she was convicted of DUI in Colorado in 2019.
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