By Travis Uresk
2/21/24
On Saturday, February 3rd, 2024, at around 11:30 pm, VPD responded to a report of an individual sitting in their vehicle outside a residence at approximately 99 E 860 S in Vernal, Ut.
The presence of the individual caused the complainant concern, and they asked that the police check on the person in the vehicle.
When Officer White arrived on the scene, he began looking for the silver Toyota. While looking for the vehicle, he saw a silver Toyota start its engine and intend to leave the area.
The officer pulled in behind the Toyota and went to speak with the driver. He could smell the distinct odor of marijuana coming from the Tacoma. Officer White could see a glass pipe hanging out of the AC vent with a dark residue consistent with a marijuana pipe.
Officer Nielsen instructed 23-year-old Dylan Jason Obermueller to exit the Toyota, and he failed to do so. Officer White then approached the vehicle (with the driver-side door still closed and the window down) and saw Dylan bent over in the cab, fumbling with something on the left side of his body.
Officer White opened the door, saw that Dylan had something in his left hand, and tucked it underneath his left leg. Dylan was asked to get out of the vehicle and became argumentative.
Officer White saw a tooter straw beside Dylan's left foot on the floorboard. He again ordered Dylan out of the Toyota several times, and he eventually got out and was placed in handcuffs.
Dylan was informed of the officer's suspicion of him trying to hide something, and he stated that he wasn't and told the officers to look and check his pockets. Officer White searched Dylan's person and found a crumpled-up sheet of tinfoil that contained burnt residue. In that residue was a small blue pill, likely what was left of a Fentanyl pill.
Dylan was then arrested for obstruction of justice and DUI due to having been impaired and having been in actual physical control of a vehicle, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance.
Cpl. Pummell and Officer Nielsen assisted in the inventory search of Dylan's vehicle because it was where he committed the DUI offense. As a result of that inventory search, there had also been a multitude of other drug-related items found inside the vehicle, including several containers showing a THC placard that contained residue in them. There had also been several different sheets of tinfoil with burnt residue and two additional tooters in the vehicle.
Dylan was transported to the Uintah County Jail to perform the Standard Field Sobriety Tests.
Here are the results:
"I then informed him that the first thing I would be checking was his eyes. I then conducted the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus test, where I observed several clues of impairment. I then conducted the Vertical Gaze Nystagmus test and observed nystagmus in both of his eyes."
"I then informed him that I would be conducting the 9-step walk and turn and observed that he had difficulty understanding the simple instructions. I then demonstrated the test and instructed him to begin. During that test, I observed that after the first nine steps, he stopped walking, which I had instructed him not to do, and that when he began to turn around after the ninth step, he became confused and conducted a 90-degree turn and not the 180-degree turn that I had demonstrated to him."
"I then conducted several other tests, including the lack of convergence test. During that test, I observed a lack of convergence in Dylan's eyes, which indicated to me that, among other possible intoxicants, Dylan was likely under the influence of marijuana (THC)."
"I then transported him to the Uintah Basin Health Clinic ER, where he consented to a blood draw. Once the blood draw was completed, I transported him to the Uintah County Jail."
A female gets arrested for assaulting a disabled adult.
By Travis Uresk
2/21/24
Vernal, Ut.- On 1/16/24, at 1:30 pm, Cpl Pummell and other Vernal Police Officers were dispatched to the DMV of a report of domestic assault.
Responding officers were informed that a female yelled and then struck a male who appeared to be disabled. The complainant reported that the female took the victim, left the building, and walked westbound from the DMV. Officers responded to that area, but the suspect wasn't found.
The complainant told Cpl Pummell the victim appeared to be disabled and was sitting on a bench when the female was in the DMV. The female left the DMV and started to yell at the victim, and then she struck him on the face or shoulder.
The female walked back into the DMV office and then, a few minutes later, left again, yelled at the victim, and struck him with a closed fist in the face. The female threatened the witnesses not to get involved as she left.
While Cpl Pummell was interviewing the witnesses, the female and the victim walked back into the DMV. The Cpl and Officer Oldham attempted to speak with the female, and she identified herself as 49-year-old Roburta Ann Tabbee, and the victim was her 29-year-old special needs son.
Cpl Pummell tried to speak with Tabbee, and she told him she didn't need to talk to him and that she was a tribal member and demanded a Federal officer. Again, he attempted to speak with Tabbee about the incident, and she told Cpl Pummell she didn't need to speak with him and that she was leaving. Tabbee was told she wasn't free to leave and would be detained until the investigation was complete.
Tabbee started yelling and wouldn't calm down even after Officers requested that she stop yelling several times. Due to Tabbee's behavior, officers attempted to secure Tabbee under arrest for disorderly conduct after she was requested to stop. Officer Oldham and Cpl Pummell tried to secure Tabbee in handcuffs and had to tell her many times that he was under arrest and to stop fighting with them as they placed her in handcuffs.
Tabbee's arms had to be forced behind her back to secure her in handcuffs. Officer Oldham and Cpl Pummell escorted Tabbee to a patrol vehicle, where she had to be forced to walk into the car. Tabbee was repeatedly warned to stop resisting and was booked into the Uintah County Jail.
