By Travis Uresk
2/4/24
Vernal, Ut.- On 2/2/24, in the area of Main Street and 300 East, Central Dispatch put out an Attempt To Locate (ATL) on a vehicle that left the State Liquor Store headed West.
The report was an employee wouldn't sell alcohol to a female because she was already intoxicated. The employees watched her enter the vehicle's driver's seat and leave the parking lot. They also noticed that she had a child inside the vehicle as well. The employees gave dispatch the female's license plate number of her black van.
Sgt Hill pulled into the turning lane on Main Street, parked, and waited for the black van, believing he was in front of the vehicle. In a few minutes, a black van came from behind Sgt Hill in the inside lane; as it passed, he could verify the license plate, which was the one from the ATL.
Sgt Hill began to follow the van and watched it cross over the center line several times, but it could not maintain its lane of travel. At the intersection of 100 West and Main Street, the van was straddling the turning lane line, taking up the turn lane and the inside lane, delaying vehicles in the turning lane.
The van then made a wide turn, almost hitting a parked car, and came to the intersection at 100 South 100 West. The van slowed down but didn't stop.
Sgt Hill initiated a traffic stop, and the van pulled into a driveway at 117 West 100 North. The driver and passenger began to exit the van, at which time Sgt Hill informed the driver it was a traffic stop on her. The driver said she was on her property, and the officer didn't need to be there. Her child went up to the officers and told them his mom was just really tired.
The female was advised why she was being stopped for her driving pattern and that they could smell the odor of alcohol coming from her person. The female driver said that she hadn't been drinking and what the officers were saying was not true.
She began saying that she needed to take care of her kids and started to walk away from the police. Sgt Hill grabbed her arm and told her she was not free to go anywhere yet. He let go of her arm and asked if she would perform the Standard Field Sobriety Tests, and she stated that she would. Sgt Hill had her step in front of his patrol vehicle, turned off his emergency lights, and asked her again if she would perform the test, and she told him no.
35-year-old Nicole Renae Arvita Gray was informed that she was under arrest for DUI and began to put her hands behind her back. Nicole pulled her left arm away from the officer and tried to spin away, saying, "Oh really."
Sgt Hill grabbed her left arm again and pushed her up against the front of his patrol vehicle to keep control of her while placing her in handcuffs.
She was told several times not to resist arrest, and they would discuss the welfare of her children. Nicole has four children, one of whom was in the van with her at the time of the traffic stop.
While in handcuffs, Nicole continued to try and pull her hands away. She was escorted to the caged area of the patrol vehicle and requested to sit in the truck. Again, she wouldn't comply with Sgt Hill's orders.
Officer McDavid and Sgt Hill had to lift her to get her feet into the patrol truck and then push her body inside, where they placed a seatbelt around her.
Nicole's van was inventoried where her driver's license was found, and she was identified as the driver. The vehicle was then impounded.
Nicole was transported to the Uintah County Jail, where she was searched by the jail staff. Her emotions were up and down, and she started to get upset again. Nicole tried to walk away from the jail staff, where they had to grab her and place her into a cell.
After a few minutes, Sgt Hill went to speak with Nicole to read her the DUI admonitions and requested that she take a breath or blood test, which she agreed to.
While waiting for the results of the alcohol test, Sgt Hill asked Nicole about the DUI. Nicole stated she had been driving and drank some Vodka. After the test results were completed, the breath sample showed the results of a 0.415 BrAC.
Nicole was then taken to the hospital for a medical clearance. After being cleared from the hospital, she was taken back to the jail, where she was booked.
Sgt Manning was assisting Sgt Hill on a DUI arrest with Nicole Gray when he was approached by a female saying that earlier in the day, Nicole had assaulted her 6-year-old son.
The female and Sgt Manning spoke with the child, who stated that his mother had put a coat on him that didn't fit, and he told her it didn't fit, and she got mad at him.
The child said his mother, Nicole hit him with her fist across his head and pointed to the right side of his head. He also stated that his mother yelled at him, twisted his arm, and pointed to his right arm.
Sgt Manning looked at the child's head while the female moved his hair, and he didn't see any bruising in the area. He stated his mother hit him. As the female softly moved the child's hair, he complained that it still hurt.
The female said she couldn't feel any abnormalities on the child's head. Sgt Manning looked at the child's arm and saw no visible marks consistent with her grabbing and twisting it.
