HURRICANE, Utah, May 21, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A traffic stop in Hurricane resulted in a call to the bomb squad and a woman under arrest.
A Hurricane City Police officer wrote that at about 8:14 p.m. Thursday, he stopped a vehicle after the driver failed to come to a stop at a stop sign at 600 North and 200 West. The car also had a brake light that was not working, the officer wrote in a probable cause statement for driver Brittany Christine Williams, 38.
Williams, who was alone in the car, “was trembling and appeared to be nervous. While collecting the information Brittany advised me that she has a warrant for her arrest.”
Since Williams had the Iron County warrant and a history of drug involvement, the statement says, the officer requested a K-9 with the Washington County Sheriff‘s office to respond.
“I spoke to Brittany about her active warrant,” the probable cause statement says. “Brittany told me she had sent a letter to the judge. I advised Brittany that she was going to be placed under arrest for the active arrest warrant. Brittany was secured in
handcuffs.”
The K-9 gave a positive indication for drugs, and a search of the vehicle turned up a glass pipe.
“In the bulb section of the pipe was a white substance. Based on my training and experience I recognized the glass pipe to be used to smoke methamphetamine. In the second visor compartment officers located two syringes. Inside of the syringes was a clear liquid. Based on my training and experience I recognized the clear liquid inside of the syringes to be methamphetamine. A NIK test was completed on the clear liquid substance. The NIK test flashed positive for methamphetamine.”
Explosive
Officers also found a clear tube with black powder inside.
“I spoke to officer’s with the Washington County Bomb Squad and determined that the black powder inside of the tube was smokeless gunpowder,” the statement says, also describing a small hole in the orange cap with a green fuse.
“With these components combined it makes an improvised explosive device
which no reasonable person should possess in the center console of a vehicle.
A bomb technician responded to the scene. The bomb technician removed the powder from the tube. The bomb technician lite the powder which burnt rapidly with a low flashing point.”
Williams told officers her boyfriend had found the device near a storage unit, and he also used the vehicle.
Police contacted the boyfriend, who said the device was not his, and who declined to talk after being read his Miranda Rights. Gephardt Daily could not find any recent arrest records in the boyfriend’s name, so will not share his name here.
Williams was arrested on initial charges of:
- Recklessness — incendiary device, a second-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substances schedule l/ll/analog, a third-degree felony
- Use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor
Williams’ was booked into the Washington County jail with $5,000 bail, and is no longer listed among current inmates.
