St. George man arrested for warrant, drugs, paraphernalia

WASHINGTON CITY – A St. George man was arrested Tuesday for possession of controlled substances and drug paraphernalia in a drug free zone, after being served with a warrant for failure to appear in court.

Charles D. Olson, 23, of St. George, was arrested and charged with two second-degree felonies for possession of controlled substances; and two Class A misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Washington City Police Public Information Officer Ed Kantor said Washington City Police Officer Laynce Bartruff made contact with Olson in his vehicle while trying to serve a warrant at 195 E. Telegraph. According to court documents the warrant was issued for failure to appear in court on a previous offense.

The suspect was found in possession of new and used syringes both on his person and under the passenger seat of his vehicle along with wrappers on his person containing the drug Suboxone, Bartruff said in the probable cause statement supporting the arrest.

Charles Olson booking photo posted Jan.27, 2015 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's Office
Charles Olson booking photo posted Jan.27, 2015 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office

After Bartruff informed Olson of the warrant and the fact that he was being arrested, Olson stated that “he had a syringe in his front left pocket and he did not want me to get stuck by it,” according to the probable cause statement supporting the arrest.

Several needles were located under the passenger seat of the vehicle along with a box containing several items of paraphernalia, a spoon with brown residue and a burnt bottom, several cotton filters, syringes, baggies containing a white crystalline substance, and other miscellaneous items used for consuming narcotics, according to the statement.

The white crystalline substance tested positive for methamphetamine, a cotton filter tested positive for heroin; and two Suboxone wrappers were found in Olson’s wallet, Bartuff wrote in the probable cause statement.

Suboxone is a medication used to treat narcotic addiction, according to WebMD.com. Olson stated that he had a prescription for the Suboxone, but did not have it with him, Bartruff said in the statement. The charges were enhanced due to the proximity to an LDS church – a drug-free zone.

Olson was transported and booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility where he remains in custody on a $44,410 bond, according to booking information.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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1 Comment

  • Free Parking January 30, 2015 at 6:10 pm

    Dang sounds like some kind of Tweeker to me

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