CEDAR CITY, Utah, March 26, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A 20-year-old man was arrested after he led an officer on a chase on Interstate 15 in Iron County which reached speeds up to 114 mph.
A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of Cedar City said Joseph Sharron Mitchell is facing charges of possession of a controlled substance marijuana/spice, a class B misdemeanor; use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor; driving on a suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor; and speeding, an infraction.
Mitchell is also a fugitive and had a warrant out for his arrest, the statement said.
The incident occurred on Sunday when the arresting officer was southbound on I-15 near mile post 75 in Iron County.
“I observed a vehicle in front of me that appeared to be traveling at an extremely high rate of speed as I attempted to catch up to it from behind,” the statement said. “I estimated the speed of the vehicle to be in excess of 100 mph in a posted 80 mph zone.”
The officer then activated his front moving radar in same-direction mode and observed the speed of the vehicle on his radar at 114 mph.
“I locked the speed of the vehicle on my radar at 111 mph and verified my patrol speed at 119 mph as I was closing from behind.”
The officer then activated his overhead lights and initiated a traffic stop for the offense of speeding.
“On my initial approach of the vehicle, I detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from inside of the vehicle,” the statement went on. “The driver was asked back to my vehicle and I identified him by name, date of birth, social security number and physical description.”
The arresting officer then found Mitchell had a full extradition warrant out of Wisconsin for larceny, and that his driver license was suspended.
A probable cause search of the vehicle yielded two bags of marijuana and a scale with plant material on it. The scale and one of the bags of marijuana was located inside a bag that the suspect claimed ownership of.
The suspect was placed under arrest and transported to the Iron County Correctional Facility, where he is being held without bail.
