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By Travis Uresk
1/28/25
| Vernal, Ut. | January 27th, 2025 |
Vernal City Police Officers were dispatched to 50 East 600 North, Vernal, Utah, regarding a traffic accident. It was reported a vehicle had struck a fence and was leaving the scene.
Officers arrived in the area and observed a white Ford Escape stop at the 50 East 500 North stop sign with a male wearing a black jacket enter and exit the Escape multiple times. The officer activated his overhead emergency lights and pulled behind the vehicle.
Officers made contact with the male, who was identified as 42-year-old Bryce D Bell.
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Officers asked Bryce if he had anything on him, and he stated he had meth on him. Bryce began to reach into his pockets for the drugs, and an officer told him not to be reaching into his pockets.
Bryce pulled out items from his pocket and handed them to one of the officers. He then began to reach into his waistband, and not knowing if Bryce had a weapon, the officers decided to place him in handcuffs.
While trying to place Bryce into handcuffs, he tensed his arms up and said, "Wait, how do I know you guys are cops?" It should be noted that the officers were in full uniform.
Bryce then spun to his left and began to physically resist being taken into custody. An officer grabbed Bryce's jacket and placed him on the ground. Bryce was given several commands to put his hands behind his back but continued to refuse to comply and physically resist law enforcement.
After Bryce was secured in handcuffs, he started telling the police there was someone following him, and he was in fear for his life. Bryce stated he didn't know who the people following him were. He said he was watching them and not the road, which is how he hit the fence.
While wrestling with Bryce, one of the officers was injured and was bleeding from the mouth and drove himself to the hospital.
A Uintah County Deputy asked Bryce if he had any weapons on him. Bryce stated he had a pocket knife in his back pocket. The officer began to search Bryce and a black nylon holster was found in his right front jeans pocket. The officer asked where the firearm was, and he stated he didn't know.
An officer found a loaded 9mm magazine in Bryce's front left pocket, and he asked Bryce where the firearm was, and again, he said he didn't know.
Bryce was transported by ambulance to Ashely Regional Medical Center.
During the struggle with Bryce, the items he handed the officer were dropped on the road. One of the items was a glass pipe that had been broken that had white meth residue in it.
Due to Bryce's vehicle being involved in a hit-and-run accident, his vehicle was impounded. During the vehicle inventory, a Taurus G2C 9mm handgun was located. A criminal history check revealed Bryce had been convicted of 2 felony offenses, which restricts him from having firearms in his possession. One of the felony convictions classified Bryce as a Category 1 restricted person.
An officer went to the Ashely Regional Medical Center to speak with Bryce. He told the officer he thought someone was hiding behind the speaker box in the back of his vehicle because he heard noises. Bryce acknowledged the noises he heard were probably just rocks being kicked up by his tires.
Bryce stated he braked hard and steered to the left, then slammed on the gas, steering to the right to throw the person in the back of his vehicle off balance, and that is how he hit the fence.
Bryce was asked if he had been convicted of a felony. Bryce stated he was convicted of aggravated robbery. The officer asked where he got the firearm, and Bryce said he had bought it in a private sale from a guy. Bryce stated he didn’t tell the officers where the gun was because he was scared.
The dash camera footage of the struggle with Bryce was reviewed, and it showed Bryce's left arm striking the officer in the face. The force of the strike caused the officer's head to snap back, and he lost his balance.
Bryce Bell was placed under arrest and transported to the Uintah County Jail and booked on the following charges.
One count of Possession of a Firearm by a Category I Restricted Person.
One count of Assault Against a Peace Office Causing Substantial Bodily Injury.
One count of Possession of a Controlled Substance Schedule I or II.
One count of Use or Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
One count of DUI Drugs.
One count of Interfering with a Peace Officer.
One count of Fail to Comply Accident Duties Unattended Property Damage.
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