CEDAR CITY — An 18-year-old man who led police on a pursuit on Interstate 15 in Cedar City just over three months ago has been sentenced to at least two more months in jail in connection with the incident.
Anthony Jesse Drage was sentenced Monday afternoon by 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell, who conducted the hearing online via WebEx.
As previously reported, Drage was arrested on the morning of March 31 a few miles south of Cedar City near mile marker 54 on southbound I-15.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers had attempted to pull over the Toyota Corolla that Drage was driving near mile marker 63, but he didn’t stop. Instead, he led officers on a short pursuit that ended a few minutes later when a pursuing trooper was able to successfully execute a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver, thereby disabling the vehicle.
Drage initially faced several charges, including felony counts of failure to stop at the command of police and receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, plus misdemeanor charges of reckless driving, driving on a denied license, failure to remain at the scene of an accident and possession of drugs and paraphernalia.
On May 1, Drage pleaded guilty to two counts, namely failure to stop at command of police and attempted theft, each of which is a third-degree felony. The remaining charges against Drage were dismissed in accordance with a plea agreement; he was then ordered to be released from jail until his sentencing.
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Drage’s defense counsel Jeffery Slack had asked that his client not be given any additional jail time beyond the 33 days he’d already served. Drage, who lives in Las Vegas with his mother, said he’s looking forward to starting a new job soon.
However, Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson argued that Drage should serve at least 150 days in jail, citing the “unreasonable risk to the public” that resulted from Drage’s refusal to stop for police.
Dotson expressed his doubts about Drage’s excuse that he didn’t stop the car because he was scared and that he was already beginning to pull over when the PIT maneuver was executed.
“It doesn’t ring true to me, Your Honor,” Dotson said. “I think that it shows there’s a lack of accountability, and minimizing his conduct.”
Given a chance to address the court, Drage said he had been afraid of stopping during the pursuit.
“I had one hand out the window and I was trying to signal to them that I was stopping,” he said. “I was just really scared. I’ve never been in a situation like that.”
“Why didn’t you stop when the car was down to a rim?” Bell asked, referencing the fact that at least one of the vehicle’s tires went flat during the pursuit. “I mean, isn’t that a good clue that you should stop, whether a cop has their lights on or not? If you’re driving on a rim?”
Drage replied, “Yes, that’s why I was trying to stop. But I was scared because I was already going at 80 miles per hour. I was trying to slow down.”
However, Bell called such excuses “nonsense” and referred to Drage’s extensive juvenile criminal history.
“Numerous drug charges, you’ve got criminal mischief, felony, you’ve got misdemeanor theft, car theft … and you want me to give you all the benefit of the doubt with the nonsense story you’re giving me?” Bell asked. “Police don’t just pull up behind you, hit their lights and if you don’t slam on the brakes, they crash you off the road with a PIT maneuver. They don’t do that.”
Added Bell: “You want to tell me it’s all a big misunderstanding and that you were just trying to stop … not buying it. Not one bit. And you put yourself and other people at risk.”
Bell then sentenced Drage to a total of 300 days in jail but suspended 200 days, leaving 100 days to be served. The judge then gave Drage credit for the 33 days he’d already served in Iron County Jail, leaving a balance of 67 days to still be served.
Bell ordered Drage to report to Iron County Jail no later than 5 p.m. on July 20 to begin his sentence.
Although the court didn’t impose additional fines or fees beyond the $106 court security fee, Drage was ordered to pay restitution for the damage to the car and its contents. Bell said the final restitution amount would be left open until January 2024, in order to give time for remaining claims to be filed with the county attorney’s office.
After his release from jail, Drage will be on probation for another 36 months, to be supervised by Adult Probation and Parole, Bell ordered.
“Let’s see you get your substance abuse evaluation, go through treatment and show me you’re serious about living a different life,” Bell said. “And if you do, awesome. And if not, you’ll do at least the additional 200 days.”
Bell noted that the rest of the jail time would be suspended as long as Drage fully complies with the terms of his sentencing and probation.
“One hundred days is letting you off pretty light, Mr. Drage,” Bell said. “You’ve got a terrible criminal history at a young age. It looks to me like you’ve had a lot of chances. You’re 18 years old, and here you are with felony convictions here and a felony pending in Vegas. I think I’ve treated you more than fair. Make sure you report for that jail time.”
Updated July 28 to include defendant’s mugshot photo, courtesy of Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
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