Police Arrest A Man Who Has A Non-Extraditable Warrant Out Of Pennsylvania
- Travis Uresk
- Jun 24, 2024
- 5 min read
By Travis Uresk
6/24/24
| Vernal, Ut. | June 23rd, 2024 |
UHP Trooper Searle heard Officer Elmer with the Vernal City Police Department conduct a traffic stop at 10:43 p.m. in the area of 1500 West 500 North for a headlamp violation.
The trooper heard the officer conduct a records check on 25-year-old Nicholas James Keller. Dispatch informed Officer Elmer that Keller's driver's license in Utah and Pennsylvania was suspended, and he had a non-extraditable warrant out of Pennsylvania for possession of dangerous drugs.
At 11:00 p.m., Trooper Searle arrived to assist Officer Elmer and saw the officer at the driver-side window issuing Keller a citation. Officer Elmer explained to Keller they were going to leave and not wait for his ride that was coming from Park City.
After handing Keller all of his documentation, Officer Elmer explained to Keller that if they saw him again, he could be stopped and cited for driving on a suspended license.
Officer Elmer then concluded the traffic stop, and Trooper Searle followed him back to his patrol vehicle. In his patrol vehicle, the trooper observed Officer Elmer turn off his front deck emergency lights and asked him if he had advised Keller of his warrant. Officer Elmer told me he did not.
Keller was still parked on the side of the road, and the trooper asked Officer Elmer if he was waiting for a ride. Officer Elmer informed him Keller had a ride coming from Park City, and Keller was going to wait for the ride to get there.
At 11:05 p.m., Trooper Searle approached Keller in his vehicle and asked if Officer Elmer had talked to him about his warrant. Keller stated he didn't know about a warrant and asked what it was for. Keller was informed he had a non-extraditable warrant out of Pennsylvania for dangerous drugs. Keller told the trooper that he shouldn't have that warrant for his arrest anymore, and the court dropped the charges.
As Keller was explaining this, the trooper noticed he started talking quickly, would talk over him, and started stuttering his words. Keller explained that the case was dropped as there was no evidence against him. Keller informed Trooper Searle that he has lived in Utah for over two years, and the warrant always pops up when he gets pulled over.
Trooper Searle asked Keller what dangerous drugs meant in the state of Pennsylvania. Keller informed him he didn’t know what that meant. Keller then said the warrant should have been for a credit card scam. Keller was informed again that this warrant was for the possession of dangerous drugs. Keller replied he had never heard of that. Keller then stated all of his possession charges were only for getting caught with a blunt.
The trooper told Keller he could go and find out what court the warrant was out of. Keller then informed the trooper that he would wait for his ride to come out of Park City, so he had the time to wait.
Trooper Searle asked the dispatcher what court the warrant was out of. While waiting for the dispatcher to return the court information, Keller again informed him he had been hearing about this warrant for a long time. The trooper asked Keller if there were any drugs in the vehicle, and Keller stated there were no drugs and that he would give the trooper consent to search. Trooper Searle asked Keller if he could run his dog around the vehicle, and he said he could. As the trooper returned to his patrol vehicle, he asked Officer Elmer to find out what court the warrant was out of.
The trooper deployed his K9 and performed a free-air sniff around Keller's vehicle, but he didn't observe any alert behavior or indication. After putting his K9 back in his patrol vehicle, the trooper returned to Keller's vehicle to give him the court and agency information to get his warrant taken care of.
After explaining the warrant information to Keller, he was asked again if there were any drugs in the car. Keller stated there was not and said he just came from Red Fleet Reservoir. The trooper asked Keller what he did at the lake, and he said he just went for a swim. Keller was asked if he was alone and said he was with friends. When asked if those friends were able to come pick him up. Keller told the trooper that he was not from around here and those friends were already out of town and lived in Park City.
Trooper Searle remembered from the records check Keller had an address in Vernal.
Keller then changed the subject to his license and explained he had an email from Pennsylvania stating his license was valid. Keller was asked again if there was anything in the car, and Keller informed the trooper again that there was nothing. Keller was asked if the trooper could search the vehicle, and Keller stated please do and asked if the trooper wanted him to step out. Keller was asked to exit the vehicle and stand with Officer Elmer on the sidewalk near his vehicle.
Trooper Searle performed a search of the vehicle, and in the middle of the rear passenger seat, he found a Psilocybin Wonka chocolate that was unopened.
At 11:33 p.m.p.m., Nicholas Keller was arrested. He asked why he was being placed in handcuffs. The trooper told him that he had found the Psilocybin chocolate bar in the vehicle and that it was illegal to possess it in Utah. Keller stated that the chocolate bar was not his.
Keller was informed that his vehicle was going to be impounded because the police could not wait for his friends from Park City to arrive. He then said that he had friends who lived in Naples who could come and get his vehicle.
Keller was allowed to call a friend to come and get his vehicle, and he was then taken to the Uintah County Jail.
A criminal history check was performed, and it returned Keller has four previous drug convictions and one plea in abeyance in the last seven years. Keller was then booked into the Uintah County Jail for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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