CEDAR CITY — Two people were arrested for drug possession early Tuesday following a traffic stop in Iron County.
Miranda Westman, 27, and Stephen Anthony Anastasio, 35, were booked into Iron County Jail early Tuesday morning. Both are residents of Idaho, according to the probable cause statements filed in support of their arrests.
According to the statements, an Iron County Sheriff’s deputy observed a vehicle parked at the northbound Interstate 15 rest area near Kanarraville, at approximately 11 p.m. Monday.
“I ran the vehicle’s plate and it returned with expired registration,” the deputy wrote, adding that Westman, the vehicle’s registered owner, had an active warrant for grand theft burglary charge in Idaho. Additionally, Anastasio is on probation for felony child abuse in Idaho, the statement added.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, deputies reportedly found a plastic baggie inside a french fry container in the center console containing approximately “200-300 blue pills stamped with ‘M’ on one side and ‘30’ on the other.”
“Through my training and experience, I had probable cause to believe that the pills were fentanyl,” the deputy wrote.
One more such pill was found in Anastasio’s shoe after he was taken into custody, the affidavit alleges.
The charging documents also state that during the search, deputies found a grinder, a straw with burnt residue and a leafy green substance consistent with marijuana.
Both Westman and Anastasio remain incarcerated in Iron County Jail as of Friday. They each made their initial court appearance in 5th District Court on Wednesday before Judge Matthew L. Bell, who appointed a public defender for each of them. Their next scheduled court appearance is a roll call hearing on Monday.
Court documents indicate that in addition to being considered a fugitive from justice, Westman faces one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second degree felony, in addition to use or possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor. She also faces misdemeanor counts of operating a vehicle without license or registration and not having insurance on the vehicle.
Meanwhile, Anastasio also faces one second-degree felony count of drug possession with intent to distribute, in addition to misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia and operating a vehicle without insurance.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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