CEDAR CITY — Two female suspects were arrested following a reported altercation on Interstate 15 north of Cedar City late Sunday night, during which a third person was injured.
Dana Richardson, 34, and a second suspect, who was initially believed to be 18 but was later determined to be a juvenile, were booked into Iron County Jail early Monday, Dec. 4. Charges against the third woman have not been filed.
According to probable cause statements filed with 5th District Court, the incident began shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper was notified of a reported stabbing incident on northbound I-15 near mile marker 64.
The caller reported that she and the driver, identified as Richardson, had exchanged multiple physical blows until the driver brought the car to a stop and forced her out of the vehicle. She also said that the car had run over her foot as it left the scene.
Shortly thereafter, a responding UHP trooper located the vehicle, a dark blue Mercedes passenger car heading north, and conducted a felony stop near mile marker 79, just north of Parowan.
“After advising both subjects of their rights I asked them about what had occurred on I-15 with the other female,” the trooper wrote in the affidavit. “(The passenger) informed me after interviewing her that she had a knife that she produced and struck the victim with the knife in an altercation.”
The third person (the initial 911 caller) also reportedly sustained a cut on her head from a large silver ring worn by the passenger as she was punching her, according to the affidavit.
The 911 caller was later taken to the hospital for evaluation. Her injuries were not believed to be serious, according to UHP.
After receiving the driver’s permission to search the vehicle, the investigating trooper reportedly found multiple packages of raw marijuana, burnt marijuana cigarettes and a small pipe with white powder inside it that later tested positive for cocaine.
A knife was located in the driver’s side door, according to the affidavit.
As of Tuesday morning (Dec. 12), Richardson continues to be held without bail in Iron County Jail, where she faces multiple misdemeanor counts related to possession of drugs and paraphernalia, along with one count of assault, a class B misdemeanor.
Meanwhile, the juvenile passenger initially had charges filed against her for one count of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and one count of possessing a false identification card, a class A misdemeanor. However, those charges were dismissed following a motion filed by prosecutors on Friday, due to her being under age 18.
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.
Updated Dec. 12, 8:30 a.m. to indicate that after the second suspect was later determined to be a juvenile, the charges filed against her were dropped. Her name has also been removed from the story.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.