Fugitive arrested after allegedly fleeing scene of traffic stop, running across I-15

Utah Highway Patrol troopers and Iron County Sheriff's deputies at the scene of a traffic stop on Interstate 15 near Hamilton Fort, Utah, Nov. 25, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A Minnesota man was arrested Wednesday after officers said he was fleeing from the scene of a traffic stop on Interstate 15 south of Cedar City.

Utah Highway Patrol officers said the man, later identified as Lamonte Jermaine Tyson, 30, ran across both the northbound and southbound sides of I-15, scaled a fence, and went into a nearby residential area before being apprehended and taken into custody.

The incident began shortly before 4:30 p.m., when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a northbound vehicle for speeding. The car had been traveling 107 mph and ended up stopping near mile marker 51, the trooper wrote in the probable cause statement filed in support of Tyson’s arrest.

According to the statement, Tyson, who was seated in the front passenger seat, had a resealable storage container near his feet. The trooper, who said he could smell the odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, asked what was in the container.

“He stated that it was fertilizer,” the trooper wrote, adding that it turned out to be hashish.

Booking photo of Lamonte Jermaine Tyson, 30, Iron County Jail, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 25, 2020 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

Additionally, the man also reportedly had marijuana gummy bears in his pockets.

“I took those and told him that they are not legal in Utah unless he has a medical marijuana card,” the trooper wrote, adding that the man didn’t have such a card, nor did either occupant of the vehicle have a valid driver license.

After being informed that he was going to be placed under arrest for possessing a distributable amount of hashish, Tyson reportedly took off on foot, running across the interstate and into the Rainbow Ranches subdivision.

Multiple UHP units, along with Iron County Sheriff’s deputies, responded to the area to assist in the search. Tyson was reportedly located a short time later and taken into custody without further incident.

According to the probable cause affidavit, Tyson is on parole in Minnesota and has a full extradition warrant from that state. He was booked into Iron County Jail Wednesday evening on suspicion of being a fugitive from justice, a second-degree felony, and escaping from official custody, a third-degree felony. He also faces three misdemeanor counts related to possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

The UHP said all suspected drug items seized as evidence have been sent to a crime lab for official testing.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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