A Michigan man is facing criminal charges after he allegedly failed to comply with a traffic stop on Interstate 80 and was found with drugs in his vehicle and in his possession.
Charles Roy Harter, 28, is charged with third-degree felony failure to stop or respond at the command of police, as well as misdemeanor counts of attempted escape from official custody, driving with any measurable controlled substance in the body, interference with an arresting officer, possession or use of a controlled substance and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.
A UHP trooper was traveling eastbound on I-80 near milepost 59 when another trooper near exit 56 reported a white Chevrolet Impala traveling at a radar-clocked 101 mph, according to a probable cause statement. The freeway speed limit is 80 mph on that stretch of I-80 and the reporting trooper also noticed the vehicle had crossed the left fog line.
The white Impala overtook the responding UHP trooper and an additional trooper going at 97 mph based on the in-car radar, the statement said. The vehicle passed both troopers and the responding trooper initiated a traffic stop.
The Impala pulled to the right and stopped along the shoulder, the statement said. The driver, later identified as Harter, put his left arm out the window and gestured at the troopers.
Harter crossed back into the right lane of travel and pulled out, and the trooper tried to determine if he was looking for a safer location to pull over, according to the probable cause statement. The Impala accelerated to about 81 mph, then increased its speed to in excess of 100 mph.
The Impala and the troopers passed the exit 62 overpass and Harter’s vehicle came to a stop in the left lane, the statement said. He then exited the vehicle and the troopers made a felony stop.
After he was handcuffed, Harter attempted to run from the troopers and troopers “placed the subject on the ground,” according to the probable cause statement. A search of the vehicle found no other occupants inside.
Harter also struggled against the trooper when he attempted to place him in the rear of a UHP vehicle, the statement said. He pressed his feet against the car and said he would break the door.
Once he was secured, Harter undid his seatbelt and slammed his body against the squad car door, the statement said. An ambulance was called to medically evaluate Harter and he was transported to Delle, but he refused to get in the ambulance and was taken to the Tooele County Detention Center.
During an inventory of the vehicle, troopers found a marijuana grinder and a small amount of marijuana, according to the probable cause statement. Harter later told police he had taken LSD and was unsure where he was, saying he had taken it in Michigan or Wisconsin two hours prior to his arrest.
Harter bailed out of jail on Oct. 5 and did not make his initial appearance in 3rd District Court on Monday. Due to his out-of-state residency, Harter is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 11 at 8 a.m.