This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A West Valley City woman was behind bars Friday after allegedly selling drugs from her car, with her three young children inside, at a Utah County truck stop.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said deputies and Spanish Fork police on a stakeout observed the 25-year-old woman make a "hand-to-hand" drug transaction with a man who got into her car about 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Love's Truck Stop, near Interstate 15's Exit 260.
"When the woman left the truck stop [law officers] followed her westbound on State Route 77," Cannon said. "Investigators saw an equipment violation and also saw the woman driving erratically. They turned on their emergency lights and the woman refused to yield."
A low-speed, mile-long pursuit ensued with police and deputies ending the chase by boxing her in with their cruisers.
Police found three children — a 4-year-old boy, 3-year-old girl and 4-month-old baby girl — unrestrained inside the car. Cannon said a subsequent search turned up more than an ounce of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, including a set of scales believed used to measure drugs for sale.
The woman, also driving on a suspended license, was arrested and the children were turned over to their grandmother after initially being placed in custody of the Division of Child and Family Services.
"At the jail, officers discovered [the suspect also] had nearly 2.5 ounces of heroin concealed . . . . She tried to hide that heroin in the police car," Cannon said.
In all, the street value of the drugs seized from the woman and her vehicle was more than $10,000, authorities said.
The woman was being held Friday on $50,000 bail after being booked into Utah County jail on suspicion of first-degree felony counts of distribution of methamphetamine in a drug free zone and distribution of heroin in a drug free zone; three second-degree felony charges of endangerment of a child; third-degree felony evading police; and misdemeanor counts of drug paraphernalia possession in a drug-free zone and driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Twitter: @remims