ST. GEORGE — Two men are in jail after conflicting travel accounts, evasive maneuvers and suspicious activity on northbound Interstate 15 led to a search that yielded more than three pounds of suspected methamphetamine.
Officers were stationed on I-15 near the Utah-Arizona border facing northbound traffic as part of a criminal interdiction task force operation being conducted in Washington County.
Officers noticed two vehicles traveling in tandem as they headed north along the interstate on Wednesday. A black BMW was traveling less than a car length behind a black Kia, both of which had California plates, officers said.
According to charging documents filed in support of the arrests, two patrol units caught up to the vehicles near the St. George Boulevard exit and noticed the BMW’s window tint appeared darker than legal limits. There were also objects on the dash and hanging from the rearview mirror that purportedly obstructed the driver’s view.
After both vehicles changed lanes without signaling, the report alleges, one of the officers attempted to stop the lead vehicle. The BMW allegedly closed the gap, which prevented the officer from getting into position behind the Kia.
The maneuver raised the officers’ suspicions, the agent noted in the affidavit, since it is often used to deter interdiction efforts by law enforcement. The second officer stopped the BMW near the Green Spring Drive exit for several alleged traffic and tint violations, while the Kia was stopped less than 200 yards north of where the BMW was pulled over.
The driver of the BMW, Christian Isiah Morris, 23, of Grand Terrace, California, said he was traveling behind the Kia that was stopped just ahead, adding the driver in the lead car was his cousin.
While the officer was writing a warning, the driver said he and his cousin were heading to Omaha, Nebraska to visit family. According to the report, the travel story made the officer suspicious, since it seemed odd that both men would be traveling across the country in two separate vehicles to the same destination.
When asked why the two had not traveled together, the suspect paused and then responded by saying “’cause,” with no further explanation.
Meanwhile, Kia driver of the Kia, Vance Lemmean Collins II, 41, of Hemet, California, appeared “visibly nervous” and became flustered at the officer’s most simple requests, as noted in the report.
While speaking to officers, Collins initially said he was “going to Colorado because his family was deaf,” and when the officer asked which city the driver was headed, the suspect reportedly said, “I’m not sure. I’m going to call when I get there,” the officer wrote, adding the statement appeared “abnormal for the general motoring public.”
The suspect went on to say he was going to Colorado to attend a funeral and denied knowing the driver of the BMW. He also said he was unaware the BMW was riding his bumper.
Based on the level of nervousness displayed by the driver, along with the inconsistencies in recounting his travel plans, the officer suspected the driver was possibly engaged in some type of criminal activity and he was detained.
When a K-9 was deployed to conduct a free air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle, the animal alerted to the possible presence of narcotics and focused on an area on the driver’s side of the car.
During a search of the car, officers located three large bundles wrapped in plastic and dryer sheets that were reportedly concealed in a bag of clothes. The bundles contained approximately 3-5 pounds of suspected methamphetamine.
Officers also recovered two handguns, each wrapped in clothing found in a second bag. While speaking to police, the suspect reportedly said he had traveled to Southern California to pick up the suspected drugs and was on his way to Omaha where he was supposed to drop off the packages.
In the meantime, the officer was finishing up the written warning to Morris, the driver of the BMW, who was detained after the bundles were recovered from the Kia.
When a K-9 was deployed to conduct a free-air sniff around the outside of the BMW, the animal alerted to the possible presence of narcotics near the front passenger’s side of the car. Inside, officers found a gray plastic bag that was similar to the one in the Kia, leading officers to suspect the bundles were transferred at some point, leaving an odor that was later picked up by the K-9.
Through the course of the investigation, officers learned the suspects had reportedly traveled to Southern California to pick up the suspected drugs that were to be dropped off in Omaha.
Morris quickly declined to speak to agents, while Collins “stuck to his story” and denied knowing the driver of the BMW who told officers the two were cousins.
Both suspects were arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility, each facing one second-degree felony count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Collins faces two additional third-degree felony weapons charges. Bail for Morris was set at $5,000, while Collins is being held on $10,000 bail.
The criminal interdiction team involves agents with the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Utah Department of Public Safety, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington City Police Department and other agencies across the state.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders 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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