Suspected DUI driver pleads to Santaquin police officer to let him go, before fleeing in his car

SANTAQUIN — A man found asleep on the side of the road in his car fled from police and crashed into a light post early Monday morning.

Seth Dale Lassen, 41, was booked into the Utah County Jail on suspicion of assault on a police officer, driving on a suspended license, driving under the influence second offense in 10 years, failing to stop at the command of police, reckless driving, and possession and use of a controlled substance, according to the police affidavit.

A homeowner reported to Santaquin police that a suspicious person had parked on the roadway in front of their home and had been there for several hours. When Santaquin police officers arrived, they found a man, later identified as Lassen, slumped in the driver’s seat of an idling silver PT Cruiser.

According to the affidavit, a Santaquin officer parked and tapped on the Cruiser’s passenger-side side window to grab Lassen’s attention. The officer said that Lassen “awoke with wide eyes,” stared at the officer, and rolled down the window.

Lassen asked the Santaquin officer if he could drive to his friend’s house just a block away.

The officer reported that Lassen appeared intoxicated as he had glossy and bloodshot eyes. Lassen’s pupils also showed no dilation when the light shone on them, and he slurred his speech while talking to the officer.

According to the affidavit, Lassen admitted to drinking “some alcohol but not very much.” The officer also noticed a rubber pipe with some burned substance inside it on the passenger seat.

When Lassen was asked about the pipe, “he looked at it as if he was confused about what it was,” the affidavit stated. “(He) then smelled the pipe and said he didn’t know.”

The officer asked Lassen to leave the car, but Lassen pleaded several times to let him go. The officer then attempted to open the passenger door to prevent Lassen from fleeing, but as the officer opened the door, Lassen drove away and nearly hit the officer.

A Payson police officer reported finding the Cruiser near the area where Lassen fled from Santaquin police and attempted a traffic stop. However, Lassen did not stop for the Payson officer and fled at about 70mph without his lights turned on near 1100 S 5600 West.

“Payson Police Officer again located the vehicle near 270 South American Way. Payson Officers reported the vehicle drove over the curb and off the roadway, to avoid colliding with a patrol vehicle,” the affidavit stated.

The Payson officer reported that Lassen was driving northbound on American Way at about 80mph in the wrong lane.

“The vehicle then failed to stop at a posted stop sign and shortly after crashed into a light post near Utah Ave and American Way,” the affidavit stated.

The Santaquin officer arrived on the scene and Lassen was already in police custody. Because Lassen was involved in an accident, he did not perform standardized field sobriety tests and was transported to the hospital.

According to the affidavit, a warrant for Lassen’s blood and urine was served. While the blood test results are pending, the urine test showed positive results for “Amphetamines, Suboxone,
Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, Opiates, and Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).”

While searching Lassen’s car, police found plastic bags containing pills, lock boxes, and multiple syringes. Officers tested the substances found in the car, and they returned positive for methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, oxycodone, gabapentin, naloxone, and mescaline.

According to the affidavit, Lassen has a 2016 conviction for DUI. Court documents also show he is a suspect in a Provo animal cruelty case that happened in December 2024.