IRON COUNTY, Utah, Feb. 11, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A man has been arrested after a high-speed chase in Iron County.
A probable cause statement from the 5th District Court of Iron County said Angel Miguel Salazar, 22, is facing charges of:
- 2 counts of controlled substance schedule I or II, a second-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony
- Failure to respond to officer’s signal to stop, a third-degree felony
- Possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor
- Speeding, an infraction
- Failure to yield to right of way, an infraction
- Failure to obey lane, use control signal, an infraction
On Feb. 8, at about 8:30 p.m., the arresting officer with the Parowan Police Department was turning onto the southbound lane of I-15 at milepost 80 when he noticed a vehicle with only one headlight.
“The vehicle passed and I hurried to catch up,” the arresting officer wrote. “The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed and it took some time to catch up. I estimated the vehicle’s speed at 100 mph.”
The officer initiated a traffic stop at the southbound exit 75 off-ramp. The driver identified himself with an Illinois driver’s license as Angel Miguel Salazar. The officer said in the statement the driver had glassy eyes and he asked him to exit the car and asked if he had anything in his pockets.
“He produced a vape pen,” the statement said. “I asked if it was a THC vape and he said it was. I asked if he had a medical card for the THC and he said he did not. I told him I had probable cause to search his vehicle for other drugs or narcotics and told him to sit in my car while I did so. He turned and ran to his car. I followed and attempted to pull him from the driver’s seat but he put the car in drive and began to drive away.”
Two officers then pursued Salazar as he fled again at a high rate of speed estimated at 115 mph.
Salazar drove southwest onto 200 South in Parowan until the road came to a T- intersection. Salazar’s vehicle went through the intersection, hit a dirt berm and crashed in a veterinarian hospital parking lot. He then fled on foot, with a backpack, the statement said.
Officers caught up to the suspect and placed him in handcuffs. A search of the backpack found cocaine, LSD and marijuana, as well as packaging, a digital scale, approximately $4,100 in cash and a .22 revolver.
Salazar was transported to Iron County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
