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SPRINGVILLE — A West Valley woman was arrested Thursday after police say she led them on a low-speed chase while her three young children were in the car unrestrained, along with $10,000 worth of drugs.
Sadie Shantell Leavitt, 25, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of two counts of drug distribution in a drug-free zone, three counts of child endangerment, evading police, possession of drug paraphernalia in a drug-free zone, driving on a suspended license and DUI, as well as other seat belt and equipment violations.
When investigators asked Leavitt why she had her children around drugs and drug deals, "she stated she knew it wasn’t the best thing to do, but she really didn’t think about it," according to a Utah County Jail report.
Narcotics detectives from the Utah County Sheriff's Office and Spanish Fork Police Department were at Love's Travel Stop in Springville about 7:30 p.m. Thursday when they saw a man get into Leavitt's car and "conduct what they believed to be a hand-to-hand drug transaction," said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.
When Leavitt left, detectives followed. When she started driving "erratically," the officers attempted to pull her over, Cannon said.
"She led them on a low-speed pursuit that lasted about a mile before they were able to box her in and get her to stop," he said.
Inside Leavitt's car were a 4-year-old boy, a 3-year-old girl and a 4-month-old girl. Investigators also allegedly found an ounce of meth in the car and heroin inside her jacket.
After driving Leavitt to the jail, a deputy noticed after the woman got out of the back seat of his patrol car that there were several dollar bills shoved into the seats.
"I searched further and found a plastic bag with an extremely large amount of a brown tar substance inside," he wrote in the jail report.
The total street value of all the drugs was more than $10,000, Cannon said. About $2,300 in cash was also found in her wallet.
"(Leavitt) stated it was hard to maintain a lifestyle once you become introduced to it," according to the report.
The children were released to the custody of Leavitt's grandmother.
This was the seventh time since 2009 that Leavitt, who used to live in Payson, has been booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of charges such as theft and driving violations, according to jail records.
Leavitt has been charged three times since August with driving on a suspended license and once for driving with unrestrained children, according to state court records. She was charged four times in 2013 and 2014 with driving despite never having obtained a license.
In 2011, Leavitt was convicted of drug distribution in a drug-free zone and child endangerment. She was sentenced to 60 days in jail, followed by 60 days of wearing an ankle monitor.
Police say Leavitt also had several outstanding warrants for her arrest.
