CEDAR CITY — A man accused of refusing to exit his vehicle in a remote area of northern Iron County on Sunday morning faces several misdemeanor charges in connection with the incident.
Andrew Lee Kaiser, 30, was booked into Iron County Jail after being evaluated for several hours at Cedar City Hospital following the incident, which occurred on state Route 130 at approximately mile marker 33, about 10 miles south of Minersville.
As previously reported in St. George News, Utah Highway Patrol troopers were preparing to have the car towed, thinking it had been abandoned, only to find out that the driver was still inside.
The driver, identified as Kaiser, repeatedly refused to comply with law enforcement commands and instructions, according to a probable cause statement filed in support of his arrest. He also allegedly fired several shots from a pellet gun out the vehicle’s window, with the air pistol being pointed toward an empty field.
Although SWAT officers eventually managed to get Kaiser out of the car, he attempted to run away, then resisted arrest and kicked multiple officers as they were attempting to detain him, the statement alleges.
“I believe Andrew was trying to escalate the situation by brandishing and firing a firearm during his interaction with police even though it was later discovered to be a pellet gun,” the investigating UHP trooper wrote in the probable cause statement.
The statement also noted that Kaiser appeared to be in “a state of excited delirium” and that a small amount of heroin and a piece of tinfoil were found inside the vehicle
Although Kaiser does not have an address listed on court documents, the car he was driving had California license plates.
Kaiser faces several misdemeanor charges in connection with the incident, including threat or use of a dangerous weapon, assault against a police officer, failure to stop at command of law enforcement, failure to disclose identity and making threats of violence. In addition, he faces misdemeanor counts of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia and one count of disorderly conduct, an infraction.
Kaiser made his initial court appearance Tuesday afternoon via videoconference before 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen, who set Kaiser’s bail at $10,000 and scheduled his preliminary hearing for Jan. 5.
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.
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