AMERICAN FORK, Utah, July 3, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A Spanish Fork man has been booked into jail on two felonies and seven other charges after Utah Highway Patrol officials say he blew past a trooper at more than 100 mph and made a U-turn and drove the wrong direction on Interstate 15, both while intoxicated and armed.
Jay Steven Castillo, 27, is facing charges of:
- Failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony
- Reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor
- Reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor
- Possession of a controlled substance marijuana/spice, a class B misdemeanor
- Driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, a class B misdemeanor
- Driving on a suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor
- No valid license, never obtained
- Driving the wrong way on a roadway, an infraction
The incident happened near milepost 279, which is close to American Fork.
“I observed a silver SUV pass me on the left at a very high rate of speed,” the UHP wrote in Castillo’s probable cause statement. “I pulled behind the vehicle and activated my forward-facing radar. I observed a strong reading on the vehicle with audible confirmation at 103 mph locked at 102 mph. I initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle and the driver very erratically began swerving between lanes.”
The SUV slowly made its way to the left shoulder, then made a U-turn to travel south in the northbound lane, the statement says.
“I did not pursue the vehicle as it was driving in the wrong direction with live traffic. Dispatch received a call from a witness who reported the vehicle had made another U-turn and continued north on I-15. The witness reported they were following the vehicle and were giving live updates as to its location.
“The witness and several north county UHP troopers observed the vehicle exit off of 4500 South, and pull into the McDonalds drive-through.”
Castillo, identified by his driver license, was taken into custody.
“I could detect the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Jay’s person while I spoke with him in the patrol car. Jay was also slurring his speech,” the trooper’s statement says. “I read Jay his Miranda rights and he stated he did not want to speak to us.
“I believe based on the subject’s driving pattern that I observed, the odor of an alcoholic beverage and his slurred speech that he is impaired. During an inventory of the subject’s vehicle a bag containing a green leafy substance that appeared to be marijuana was found. There was also a sheathed knife found in between the center console and the driver’s seat of the subject’s vehicle. The subject is a class 1 convicted felon.”
Castillo was booked into the Utah County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
