By Travis Uresk
7/23/23
Uintah Co. Ut.- On 7/3/23, Deputy Lyman was patrolling US-40 when he saw a truck parked off the side of the road. One male occupant inside the truck was sitting in the driver's seat, which appeared to be leaning to the side with his head tilted back.
The Deputy had seen this truck an hour before, and at the time, it appeared to be unoccupied. Deputy Lyman turned around, activated his rear-facing emergency lights, and parked behind the truck.
The Deputy got out of his patrol vehicle and approached the truck's passenger side. The driver had his window down and didn't hear the Deputy pull off the highway behind him or leave his patrol vehicle. The driver maintained the same position until the Deputy approached the passenger side of his truck.
The driver saw the Deputy's patrol vehicle behind him in his mirror and sat up, looked in his mirror, and then turned and looked out the driver's side window. Deputy Lyman was standing at the passenger side window waving at the driver.
The male turned on the ignition to roll down the passenger side window. When the window rolled down, the Deputy immediately could smell the odor of marijuana.
Deputy Lyman noticed that the driver was extremely sweaty and had sweat dripping from his beard. The Deputy asked him if he was okay, and he said he had broken down and was waiting for help.
Lyman went to the driver's side window, and the driver stated he had help coming from Salt Lake and had called them about 25 minutes prior to the Deputy's arrival.
While speaking with the driver, the Deputy noticed a marijuana pipe on the steering wheel. His Utah driver's license identified the driver as 61-year-old Russell Dean Baker.
Russell was asked if he had any weapons or illegal substances, including marijuana, inside his truck. Russell pulled out a vape pen and showed it to the Deputy, stating it was medicinal.
Lyman saw an alcoholic beverage inside the vehicle, and Russell continued to grab the beverage and drink it while the Deputy was standing at the driver's side door.
Russell was asked to step out of the truck, and he had sweat completely through his shirt and had a sweat ring from the top of his shirt down to his waist.
Deputy Lyman searched Russell's person, saw a knife sticking out of his pocket, and found another knife inside another pocket. Russell was informed that he was under arrest and placed into handcuffs.
Due to Russell’s condition, Deputy Lyman requested an ambulance to respond to ensure he was in good health.
Russell was placed in the back of the patrol vehicle while the Deputy searched his truck. Russell stated that he had marijuana plant material in the truck. Lyman found raw marijuana and several empty containers with marijuana dust.
A small black case was located, and inside the case was a glass bottle with a white plastic lid. The Deputy pulled the glass bottle out and recognized the substance through his training to be methamphetamine.
The ambulance arrived on scene, and the search was briefly stopped to allow Russell to get out of the patrol vehicle to be evaluated by EMS.
When the search continued, several more marijuana-related items were found, secured into the patrol vehicle, and later booked into evidence at the Uintah County Sheriff's Office.
Russell Baker was later transported to the Uintah County Sheriff's Office, where he was booked on multiple drug charges, an open container, and driving on a suspended license.
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