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MOAB — A fugitive out of Colorado was arrested in Utah on Thursday following a 40-mile chase with police that ended in a crash and a significant drug seizure.
About 5:30 a.m. Thursday, a Grand County sheriff's deputy attempted to pull over a Ford Escape with a Colorado license plate on I-70 after watching it go over the fog line twice, according to a police booking affidavit.
"The offender vehicle started to accelerate from approximately 65 mph to 90 mph with no indication of yielding. The offender vehicle continued to accelerate and failed to yield to my overhead read and blue lights and siren," the arresting deputy wrote in the affidavit. "The offender vehicle continued to accelerate ... reaching an estimated speed of 115 mph."
The driver continued to drive recklessly at a high rate of speed, according to the affidavit. Additional deputies set up tire spikes and were able to successfully spike two tires as the fleeing vehicle passed them.
"I observed the driver attempt to open the door and get out of the (car) while it was still moving," the affidavit states,
But rather than jump from the car, the driver went off "a steep embankment north of I-70. The offender vehicle ran over a wire fence and drove an additional distance of (approximately 1,700 feet) from the embankment then stopped," the deputy noted in the affidavit.
The deputy watched from the top of the embankment as backup deputies and the Department of Public Safety helicopter arrived on scene.
"Once enough resources were on scene, we approached the suspect vehicle," the affidavit states.
Dean Turner, 54, was taken into custody. A search of his car resulted in the seizure of 56-pounds of meth, drug paraphernalia, and "approximately 18 hollow point 9mm bullets," according to police.
"Mr. Turner had an outstanding warrant for his arrest out of Colorado," the affidavit states. "Mr. Turner while transporting a large amount of dangerous drugs, ran from law enforcement at a high rate of speed for approximately 40 miles and crashed a vehicle while driving impaired."
Turner was booked into the Grand County Jail for investigation of drug possession with intent to distribute, failing to stop at the command of police, reckless driving, DUI, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and two traffic infractions.
