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PANGUITCH — Two men trying to get their car started by pushing it were arrested after deputies reported finding approximately $250,000 worth of drugs inside.
About 11:30 a.m. Sunday, Garfield County sheriff's deputies received a report of some people "causing a disturbance" in the parking lot at the Thunder Mountain Trailhead off state Route 12, according to a police booking affidavit. Deputies arrived to find a man pushing a car with another man in the driver's seat attempting to start the vehicle.
One man claimed he didn't have identification while the other said he would get his ID from the car. But after reaching into the car twice without pulling anything out, a deputy told him to stop. When the man began reaching into the car a third time, the deputy grabbed him and "pulled him to the ground" when the man started to resist, according to the affidavit.
As deputies investigated what was in the car, they found about 8,000 fentanyl pills worth an estimated $250,000 in the trunk, according to the sheriff's office. One of the men was also carrying a gun.
Deputies then discovered a woman and a 12-year-old girl who were also traveling with the two men, who do not live in Utah, according to the sheriff's office.
Jose Fortino Preston, 24, was charged Monday in 6th District Court with drug possession with intent to distribute, a first-degree felony; failing to stop at the command of police, reckless endangerment, and possession of drug paraphernalia, all class A misdemeanors; and disorderly conduct, an infraction.
Jose Casillas, 23, was arrested for investigation of drug possession with intent to distribute, reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia, and being a restricted person in possession of a weapon. As of Monday afternoon, formal charges had not been filed against Casillas.
The 21-year-old woman was taken to the Garfield County Hospital "due to health concerns prior to (Sunday's) arrest," the sheriff's office said. The girl was taken to a youth facility in Richfield.
