Man Arrested In Duchesne For Not Registering His Vehicle With The Sex Offender Registry
- Mar 13
- 3 min read
| by Travis Uresk | March 13th, 2026 |
On March 9th, 2026, Cpl. Cox stopped a vehicle on Main Street in Duchesne City, doing 41 MPH in a 30 MPH zone.
The deputy approached the vehicle and asked the driver for his ID. He was identified as 31-year-old Nicholas Michael Peterson. While the deputy spoke with Nicholas, he became nervous and stated he was on his way back from Salt Lake City, dropping off his girlfriend at the airport.
Cpl. Cox returned to his patrol vehicle to run Peterson’s information, and it came back that his driver’s license was denied. As the deputy continued to search through Peterson’s information, he found that Nicholas is an active sex offender with no registry expiration.
The vehicle that Nicholas was driving did not show up on the NCIC listing, as sex offenders are required to report that they own and drive. The vehicle was showing as registered with the DMV, but to a different person.
The deputy spoke with Nicholas about his driver's license and the status of the vehicle. He quickly began talking about the vehicle and telling the deputy different stories about how he obtained ownership of the car.
Nicholas told Cpl. Cox that he recently purchased the vehicle about 4 days ago; however, it was his work vehicle and is likely registered to his boss because they have been trying to get the title changed. He said that his boss has now signed the title; however, he did not have the paperwork with him. When the deputy asked about using it as a work vehicle, his story changed: he said he went to another state and returned, and didn't drive the vehicle.
Cpl. Cox then brought up that the vehicle wasn’t showing up on his sex offender registry. Nicholas said he purchased the vehicle only recently and has been driving it for only 2 days. The Utah code requires that sex offenders report their vehicles within 3 days. Nicholas had already told the deputy he had bought the car four days ago. When the deputy brought this up, Nicholas would change his story again to three or four days ago.
Nicholas was asked by the deputy whether, if he were to talk to his boss, he would tell the deputy the same story on the purchase date. Nicholas stated he would, but then said he would likely tell Cpl. Cox, it was back in December.
The deputy told Nicholas that not only was he required to have the vehicle added to his registry back in December, but he is also required to report any vehicle that he drives, even if it is not registered to him. Utah Code requires they report any vehicle they drive more than 12 times per year.
Nicholas stated that he would have to report several then because his work rotates their vehicles out during the year, depending on their job, and he has not reported any of them.
Cpl. Cox had Nicholas exit the car and advised him that he was being placed under arrest for failure to register as a sex offender due to his non-compliance in reporting his vehicle in the required time (3 days).
During the impound, the deputy located several check stubs dating back to last year inside the vehicle. Also found in the vehicle was a document in the glove box from July 2025 for Nicholas for a drug test he was required to take for work. Based on these documents, it appears that Nicholas has had this vehicle from at least July of last year and has failed to report it. After completing the impound, Nicholas was transported to the Duchesne County Jail.
Criminal and Traffic Records
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