UHP Trooper stops a vehicle in the late evening for not having lights on
- Travis Uresk
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
By Travis Uresk
4-18-25
| Vernal, Ut. | April 17th, 2025 |
At around 10:30 PM, a UHP Trooper was patrolling US-40 in Vernal when he observed a Dodge Charger traveling in the same direction without lights on.
With this catching the trooper's attention, he began to follow the vehicle, which was traveling unusually slow. Trooper Lorensen watched the car leave its lane, weaving back and forth. Seeing these violations, he initiated a traffic stop.
The vehicle took a while to pull over and finally came to a stop in the Cal-Ranch parking lot.
Trooper Lorensen approached the driver’s side window to speak with the driver, 31-year-old Leobardo Rios Castillo.
As they spoke, Leobardo seemed to be nervously chewing his gum, and the trooper could smell a strong odor of alcohol coming from inside the vehicle. At this time of the traffic stop, the trooper noticed Leobardo had his 12-year-old son in the front passenger seat.
The trooper asked for a driver's license, but Leobardo stated he didn't have one but provided a Texas ID card. He denied consuming any alcohol.
After Trooper Lorensen performed a records check on Lebardo, he returned to the Dodge Charger and asked him to perform field sobriety tests. He then admitted to drinking one beer.
The trooper had to ask the 12-year-old to assist with translating and began asking Lebardo if he could recite the alphabet. He replied that he knew it in English but not in Spanish.
Lebardo’s wife arrived on scene and agreed to translate instead of their son. After needing to explain simple details of the tests over and over again, He became agitated and refused to complete the test.
Trooper Lorensen attempted to administer a PBT, but Lebardo refused to take the test and insisted that he be taken to jail.
A pre-impound inventory was conducted before impounding the vehicle. At least two open beer bottles were found inside the car.
Lebardo was secured in the back of the patrol vehicle, and the DUI admonitions were read to him in English and Spanish. He initially refused the chemical tests, insisting in English that he didn’t care about getting a driver’s license.
Leobardo Rios Castillo was transported to the Uintah County Jail. There, Leobardo agreed to a breath test with the results showing a .113.
Leobardo was booked into jail on the following charges: DUI 1st offense, DUI with a passenger under 16 years old, open container, failure to operate within a single lane, failure to turn on taillights, and no valid license never obtained.
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