A Uintah County Deputy Arrests Two Men During A Traffic Stop For Drugs, Warrants, And Alcohol

By Travis Uresk

6/30/24

| Ballard, Ut. | June 29th, 2024 |

A Uintah County Deputy observed a silver SUV traveling on 3000 East Main Street in Ballard while running the registration information through the state database. The record returned that there were multiple active arrest warrants attached to the SUV under the registered owner, Francis Mojado.

Deputy Fairey could see there were multiple occupants inside the vehicle, with a male subject as the driver.

Dispatched checked Francis' personal information, and an invalid driver's license record was located. The record showed a status of being denied, that it was a skeleton file, and that a valid license had not been issued. The photograph attached to the record was very similar to the description of the male driver.

During the traffic stop, the deputy spoke with the occupants on the vehicle's driver's side.

Deputy Fairey was unable to see the rear passenger and asked that the passenger window be rolled down for the officer's safety. The driver indicated that neither the front nor passenger windows were working, at which time the rear passenger door was opened so that Deputy Fairey could speak with the occupants.

Through the open passenger door, the deputy could see what appeared to be an open container of beer in the back pocket of the front passenger seat.

When asked for his identification, the rear-seat passenger initially declined. The passenger ultimately provided his name as 38-year-old Cody Ray Tom.

Dispatch located an active arrest warrant for Cody out of a Southern Utah Jurisdiction. Dispatch also confirmed active arrest warrants for the vehicle driver, who was detained on the warrants.

The driver was asked for his identity and told the deputy that he was 42-year-old Francis Leonard Mojado, and provided a Utah state-issued identification card positively identifying him. When informed of the warrants, Francis stated that he had contacted the court and arranged for an upcoming court date. Francis was asked about his license status and stated that it was a clerical error or mistake.

Dispatch found three active arrest warrants for Francis out of local jurisdictions and confirmed that Francis did not possess a valid driver’s license. Francis was placed under arrest on the active warrants and placed in a patrol vehicle while the investigation of the traffic stop continued.

Cody was informed of the active warrant for his arrest and asked about the open container that was visible in the passenger seat pocket. Cody denied that the bottle was his and stated that he had not been consuming alcohol.

Cody was asked to step from the vehicle and informed that he was under arrest on the warrant. Prior to placing him into handcuffs, a search of his person was conducted. Located in his right pants pocket was a pre-rolled marijuana container labeled THC. The container was opened and observed to contain a burnt marijuana cigarette.

When asked about the container, Cody said he had found it on the ground and placed it in his pocket. Cody told Deputy Fairey that he didn’t know that the container held marijuana.

Following Cody's and the driver's detention, the vehicle was searched. An open bottle of Tito's vodka was found in the seat pocket directly in front of where Cody had been seated. The seal on the bottle was broken, and a portion of the contents appeared to have been consumed.

An open bottle of beer was removed from the seat pocket. The beer was cool to the touch and appeared to have been opened recently. The location of the passenger seat pocket was within the driver's reach and would have been accessible while the vehicle was in motion.

Also located in the seat pocket was a glass and metal pipe. The glass pipe was the type commonly used to consume methamphetamine and was observed to have a burnt residue of suspected methamphetamine. The metal pipe smelled of the odor of marijuana and was observed to have a burnt residue of suspected marijuana.

Cody was read the Miranda admonition and agreed to speak to speak about the traffic stop. Cody had previously denied that he had been consuming alcohol or that any of the open containers belonged to him. He also denied being a user of illegal substances and stated that the open containers and other items had been in the vehicle prior to him becoming a passenger.

Francis' was read the Miranda warning and initially agreed to speak with about the traffic stop. Francis denied that he had been consuming alcohol and stated that the containers were old ones from when he was cleaning the car. He denied being a user of illegal substances and said that he did not know of any illegal items in the vehicle.

During the interview, Francis stated that he needed an attorney, at which time questioning was discontinued.

At the end of the traffic stop, Cody was transported to the jail for booking. In addition to the active warrant, he was booked into jail on the following charges:

Misdemeanor A possession of a schedule I/II controlled substance (methamphetamine)

Misdemeanor B possession of marijuana

Misdemeanor B possession of drug paraphernalia

Misdemeanor C open container of alcohol/drinking alcohol in a vehicle

Francis was also transported to the Uintah County Jail for booking. In addition to the warrants, he was booked into jail on the following charges:

Misdemeanor A possession of a schedule I/II controlled substance (methamphetamine)

Misdemeanor B possession of marijuana

Misdemeanor B possession of drug paraphernalia

Misdemeanor C open container of alcohol/drinking alcohol in a vehicle

Misdemeanor C driving on a denied license

Never obtain a valid driver's license

The pipes were booked into evidence at the sheriff's office and have been submitted for testing to confirm the existence of illegal drugs.

Francis Mojado and Cody Tom were later released.

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https://pubapps.utcourts.gov/XchangeWEB/XchangeWebServlet