‘Extremely impaired’ woman arrested after going 110 mph on freeway
Oct 27, 2022, 10:47 AM | Updated: Nov 18, 2022, 6:14 pm
FILE PHOTO - (Deseret News)
(Deseret News)
NEPHI, Utah — A woman who law enforcers say was so high on drugs that she should be held in custody at least two days before being allowed back in public, was arrested Wednesday after going over 100 mph on the freeway, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Veda Hope Vellenoweth, 22, was booked into the Juab County Jail for investigation of several charges including reckless driving, DUI, being in a stolen car and failing to stop at the command of police.
The incident began about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday near Spanish Fork when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper spotted the woman driving recklessly. He attempted to pull Vellenoweth over, but ultimately the chase was called off for public safety concerns when speeds reached 110 mph, according to a police booking affidavit. After terminating the pursuit, UHP Sgt. Cameron Roden said a plan was set up to stop the woman further down the road.
An officer in an unmarked patrol car spotted Vellenoweth again as she headed south. Troopers spiked some of her tires near Mona, the affidavit states. Vellenoweth again fled at excessive speeds, but troopers deployed a second set of tire spikes just 2 miles later, the affidavit states. Her vehicle came to a stop about 9:15 a.m. and she was taken into custody.
The arresting trooper, who is also an instructor of drug recognition courses for law enforcers, noted that Vellenoweth was “extremely impaired on unknown substances” and it was “obvious that she was entirely unable to perform field (sobriety) tests,” according to the affidavit.
After being taken to jail, she admitted she had been smoking meth, the affidavit states. She also stated that she stole the vehicle she was driving but couldn’t remember from where.
“Vellenoweth is extremely impaired and will need extensive time to detox. With the amount of suspected impairment observed, I believe she should not be allowed back into the public for at least 48 hours to avoid further interactions with the innocent public,” the arresting trooper noted in the affidavit.
