This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A now-former state Bureau of Investigation agent — who was arrested for DUI while driving an unmarked law enforcement vehicle to Lake Powell for a training assignment — has pleaded guilty to impaired driving.
Jason James Whitehead, 35, was arrested on April 24 in Garfield County. He was charged two days later in Garfield County Justice Court with one count of DUI and two counts of carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, all class B misdemeanors, court records show. He also was charged with one count of class C misdemeanor open container in vehicle.
On June 9, Garfield County Attorney Barry Huntington filed amended charges in which Whitehead faced only a single count of class B misdemeanor impaired driving.
On June 29, Whitehead pleaded guilty to that charge. The same day, Judge Gary Owens fined Whitehead $1,500 — part of a one-year probation, during which Whitehead was ordered to continue the counseling in which he is currently engaged, the court docket shows.
A spokeswoman with the state Department of Public Safety (DPS), which oversees the Bureau of Investigation, said last week that Whitehead — who had been on administrative leave — was no longer employed by the department.
At about 5 p.m. on April 24, Garfield County dispatchers received reports of an erratic driver, Sheriff Danny Perkins has said.
Whitehead was stopped by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper about 5 miles north of Panguitch on U.S. 89, according to an affidavit seeking a warrant to take a sample of Whitehead's blood.
Once the trooper determined the driver was a DPS employee, Garfield County authorities were called to take the case to avoid a conflict of interest.
Officers found a half-empty bottle of vodka on the passenger's seat, and Whitehead was visibly intoxicated, according to the affidavit. He had "slurred speech, red, glassy eyes and ... appeared to have urinated on himself," the affidavit states.
After Whitehead failed an initial field sobriety test, he declined to take more tests, including a Breathalyzer test, and he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Whitehead was "very unsteady on his feet" and had to be helped to the officer's vehicle, according to the affidavit.
Whitehead, who worked for DPS for the past 4 ½ years, previously worked as a Utah Highway Patrol trooper in Tooele, Salt Lake and Juab counties, DPS officials have said.
On the day he was arrested, Whitehead — who was a member of the DPS Dive Team — was driving to Lake Powell for dive team training.