During a traffic stop, police find a container that the female says is a "community" container she and others use to dispose their syringes in
- May 31
- 2 min read
| by Travis Uresk | May 31st, 2026 |
Vernal, Utah (5/29/26)—A traffic stop was made by Deputy Fairey in the area of 800 N and 1500 E due to the car not having a visible license plate or a temporary registration.
The driver told the deputy she was the vehicle's owner, and the temporary registration in the rear window fell down. The vehicle's VIN was provided to dispatch, which confirmed that no insurance information was on file with the state. The driver was unable to provide proof of insurance.
The female passenger was identified as 35-year-old Ashley Dawn Crippen.
Due to the circumstances of the stop, Deputy Fairey requested a K9 unit to respond to the scene. Upon arrival, the canine conducted an exterior sniff of the vehicle and provided a positive indication for the presence of illegal substances.
Because the K9 alerted, probable cause existed to search the vehicle.
During the search, an assisting deputy located a black sharps-style container on the passenger floorboard. Upon examining the contents, several syringes were found inside the container, one of which contained a brown residue consistent with Heroin. The assisting deputy also located a black tooter-style pipe on the floor behind the front passenger seat.
Crippen admitted that the pipe belonged to her, stating that it was new and hadn’t been used yet. She claimed she wasn’t trying to conceal it; it had fallen while she was placing it in her purse. Regarding the sharps container, Crippen stated that it was a "community" container she and others used to dispose of syringes, and that she had previously emptied it before placing additional syringes inside to prevent them from being left unattended.
The syringe and other items recovered from the vehicle were collected and submitted for laboratory testing to confirm the presence of illegal substances.
Concerning the syringe containing the brown residue, Crippen stated that it had been given to her by another individual, whom she declined to identify. While Crippen denied that the substance was Heroin, she knew the individual who provided the syringe had believed it to be Heroin before attempting to use it. Crippen denied that the substance was Heroin.
Deputy Fairey determined that probable cause existed to place Ashley Crippen under arrest. Crippen was placed under arrest and transported to the Uintah County Jail for booking on the following charges: Misdemeanor A possession of Heroin, and Misdemeanor B possession of drug paraphernalia.
Traffic and Criminal Report
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