A 20-year-old Craig woman is in jail following a Feb. 6 traffic stop that led to a felony bail bond violation charge, and two other misdemeanors after she was observed driving erratically and tried to hide from officers in a parking lot.

According to the arrest affidavit for the 20-year-old woman, officers were patrolling in the area of Fourth and Russell streets when they observed a red sedan accelerate rapidly from the stop sign at Tucker and Fourth streets, heading north on Tucker.

Officers began to follow the vehicle and observed that the vehicle may not have had a license plate attached, but could not be sure due to aftermarket license plate lamps and the reflection it was giving off, according to the affidavit.

As officers continued to follow the vehicle, the driver of the red sedan quickly turned south onto Russell Street off of West Victory Way, and then cut across a parking lot of Mountain West Financial, before turning south into the alley between Tucker and Russell, leading the officers to believe that the vehicle was driving in an erratic pattern in an effort to get officers to stop following it, according to the affidavit.

Officers stated that they stopped at the entrance to the alley for approximately 5-10 seconds to see if the vehicle would continue driving through the short parking area at Alpine Apartments. When the vehicle failed to exit the parking lot, officers turned into the alley and observed the vehicle parked in a handicap spot with its lights off and the driver’s side window rolled down.

At this time, officers believed nobody was in the car, but when they approached, officers observed a male in the passenger’s seat lying completely flat with the seat slid back as far as possible, according to the affidavit. Officers then observed the 20-year-old female in the driver’s seat, sitting the same way as the passenger in a clear attempt to hide.

Officers recognized both the driver and the passenger from previous interactions, and knew that the female’s license was revoked.

According to the affidavit, the male passenger asked officers if they could help him, to which officers stated there was no license plate on the vehicle. The male told officers he had just purchased the vehicle and mentioned he was trying to fix a blown fuse. When officers asked to see the female’s license and registration, they stated that because the officer’s overhead lights weren’t activated, it was not a traffic stop and they could not be detained.

When officers stated that wasn’t the case, the 20-year-old female began yelling that one officer was harassing her and attempting to falsely arrest her, and began recording the incident, according to the affidavit.

The female continued to yell, stating she was going to file a lawsuit and have a restraining order put in place so that the officer couldn’t contact her, calling the officer multiple pejoratives in the process, according to the affidavit.

During this time, officers ran the woman’s information through dispatch, which stated her license was revoked for alcohol.

After the man and the woman calmed down, officers asked them why they were lying flat in the car. The male stated that he was driving and that they traded seats because he was trying to fix a blown fuse, which he claimed was underneath the glove box.

Officers told the two that they did not believe stories, to which the male stated he had both front and rear facing dash cams and that he could prove he was driving. When officers asked for the video, he refused to produce it, according to the affidavit.

Officers then approached the driver’s side and asked the female to step out of the vehicle and informed her she was under arrest. The woman began to yell no and stated she was calling her lawyer. Instead, she called CSP dispatch to alert them that officers were trying to arrest her, according to the affidavit.

Another officer spoke with the female and told her that if she didn’t exit the vehicle, more charges would be added to the stop.

After roughly seven and a half minutes of verbal commands to exit the vehicle, the woman stepped out of the vehicle and was placed under arrest around 1:30 a.m.

The woman was transported to Moffat County Jail and booked on a felony charge of violation of bail bonds, two misdemeanor charges of obstructing a peace officer and driving under restraint-revoked-alcohol. The woman was also charged with a traffic violation of registration provisions.

While booking the woman into jail, officers were informed that she was currently out of jail on bond for a felony case from August 2020.

Argument leads to felony bail bond violation for 24-year-old woman

A night of drinking led to a brief argument and a call to the police, which ultimately ended up in a 24-year-old Craig woman landing behind bars again on a felony bail bond violation on Friday, Feb. 5.

Around 12:20 a.m., officers were informed of a 9-1-1 hang up on the 400 block of Rose Street, where a female stated she wanted a male out of her house.

When officers arrived, they were informed that the reporting party was the restrained party on two mandatory protection orders.

Upon contacting the woman, she stated that she had been arguing with a male and she wanted him to leave the home. Prior to officers arriving, the male left the home, according to the woman, and she stated she no longer needed police assistance.

As officers spoke with the woman inside her home, officers observed signs of slurred speech, and that her eyes were extremely glassy, according to the affidavit.

The woman told officers that she had been drinking with the male before he went “bar-hopping” according to the affidavit. The mane later called the woman asking her to pick him up, to which she refused. Later that evening, the male arrived at home and the two started arguing before the woman asked him to leave, according to the affidavit.

Officers then asked the woman what she had been drinking before the male left, to which she stated she wasn’t drinking. Officers stated that she had just told them she had been drinking, to which the woman replied she had been drinking “teas.”

Officers found 10 of 12 cans of Twisted Tea missing from the box. When asked how much she had consumed, the woman stated “not much, like 3,” according to the affidavit.

Officers then asked the woman if she was aware she was restrained from possessing or consuming alcohol, to which she stated she was not. Officers then placed the woman under arrest and transported her to Moffat County Jail, where she was booked on a felony charge of violation of bail bonds, and two misdemeanor charges of violation of a protection order-alcohol.

jcarney@craigdailypress.com