WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah, April 16, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A man detained for a traffic violation in Washington County, who told officers the two elongated, tape-wrapped objects in his pickup were sandbags, was arrested when the objects turned out to be roughly 40 pounds of suspected meth.
John Thomas Vinson, 46, of Colorado, faces charges of:
- Possession with intent to distribute a C/substance, a second-degree felony
- Two counts of purchase/transfer/use of a firearm by a restricted person, a third-degree felony
A statement filed by an officer of the Washington City Police Department says Vinson was spotted on Tuesday, April 12, when he began to slow down near mile marker 8 on Interstate 15, then continued to driver partially over the white line, on the roadway’s rumble strip.
The officer pulled over Vinson, and while speaking to him, noticed a black pistol between the front passenger seat and center console.
Vinson told the officer he was tired from driving, and the WSPD officer told the suspect to come to his patrol vehicle while he wrote out a citation.
” As I was in the citation process myself and John engaged in casual conversation,” the officer’s statement says. “As the citation was being written, I observed several discrepancy’s in his travel story. I then requested consent to search his vehicle. John informed me I could search his vehicle.”
The officer found a second pistol in the pickup truck’s glove box.
“While searching the front passenger seat area of the vehicle I then looked over into the back cab area of the vehicle. Laying on the floor board area of the vehicle I observed two large objects. The objects were wrapped in brown packaging tape. I then grabbed the objects and was able to feel the texture of the substance which was wrapped in the packaging tape. From training and experience I was able to identify the substance wrapped in the packaging tape to be consistent with illegal narcotics, specifically methamphetamine.”
The officer told Vinson he was under arrested, and handcuffed him.
“I then informed John I had located the large sum of narcotics in his vehicle. John informed me the objects were sand bags. I informed him that was not true and to just be honest. John then admitted it was narcotics.”
When a second officer arrived, the reporting officer used a pocket knife to cut open the “sand bags,” and found a white, crystal substance consistent with meth, and estimated at about 40 pounds.
Post Miranda, Vinson “informed me he lives in Colorado and was paid to travel to California to pick the narcotics up. John stated he did not have any clue what the narcotics were he was transporting, other then he knew it was not marijuana. John also informed me he was paid $3,000 dollars to transport the narcotics. John also informed me both firearms belonged to him, and he travels with them for personal protection. I then informed
John I appreciated his honesty.”
Vinson was booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility. His bail was set at $10,000.
*Correction: Our original headline stated UHP made the arrest.
