By Travis Uresk
12/10/23
Vernal, Ut. - On Friday, December 1, 2023, at approximately 1:30 am, Officer White responded to a report of a man who called 911 and said he had been on the side of the road and that he needed help.
The male also stated that he had been outside with his son and told dispatch, "I'm holding him, you're fucking ass stupid."
The dispatcher who had taken the call noted the man's words were slurred, and they suspected that he was intoxicated. Officer White was informed that the call came from a location within 100 feet of 409 S 200 E.
Officer White arrived on scene and saw that the male was holding a small child who was only wearing a shirt and a diaper. He was not dressed appropriately for the weather conditions when the outside temperature was 21 degrees and lightly snowing.
While speaking with the male, who was identified as 31-year-old Tyler Platero Cook, the officer observed him stumbling and slurred speech. Officer White asked Tyler what had been going on, and he stated he had gone over and seen a police car and thought the person living there would him because his significant other was "fucking around."
Tyler was asked what he meant by that, and he stated that she had people over at their house.
Officer White noticed that Tyler had a collapsible baton in his left back pocket and grabbed it from Tyler. Tyler began to yell and slur his words to the point that the officer had difficulty understanding him. At one point, Tyler tried to knock the flashlight out of the officer's hand.
Tyler was asked again what was going on and why he needed the police, and he replied with something that sounded like, "You're stupid, man, fuck that." Tyler said multiple times that his child was cold. It was eventually discovered that he, his son, and his girlfriend lived at the Ashley Creek Apartments.
Officer White asked Tyler if he would be willing to let his son sit in one of the patrol cars to warm up, and he agreed to do so as long as he was allowed to go with his son.
The police went back to the apartment where Tyler lived and made contact with his girlfriend, who stated that they had been drinking and Tyler didn't know how to drink. Sgt Manning, with the Vernal City Police Department, asked her what that meant, and she stated that when Tyler consumes alcohol, he is quick to get mad and becomes belligerent. Sgt Manning then asked her what happened next, and she said that he had taken off. Their son then came out, and Tyler took their son and left. While speaking with her, she also informed us that Tyler was under the supervision of AP&P.
The child was returned to his mother, and Tyler was placed into handcuffs. He started to yell and make unreasonable noises and told the officer to "shut the fuck up."
Tyler was then transported to the Uintah County Jail for a breath test, where he tested a .256 BrAC. Officer White conducted a records query and learned that a term of his probation/parole stated that he does not consume or possess alcoholic beverages or frequent places where alcohol is the chief item of sale.
Tyler was then transported to Ashley Regional Medical Center to be medically evaluated. While there, he continued to be belligerent toward hospital staff and officers. Once a medical clearance was obtained, he was transported back to the Uintah County Jail.
During a search of his person, a receipt from Christie's Liquor was discovered in his left front pocket. That receipt was dated 11/30/2023, and the timestamp on the receipt showed a purchase time of 7:56 pm. It also showed that there had been multiple alcoholic beverages purchased at that time.
