WILLARD, Utah – A routine traffic stop in Willard led to the arrest of two men from Colorado after drugs and suspicious items were found, and the two men were later determined to be suspects in an Oregon homicide investigation.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper pulled over a Ford Explorer on July 29 just before midnight because it had one headlight out.
Agent Jalaine Hawkes, Utah Department of Public Safety, said the trooper discovered the driver did not have a valid driver’s license and noticed the passenger seemed nervous. The men told the trooper they were heading to Colorado from California and back again in three days.
The trooper was suspicious due to the short time frame of the long-distance trip, and he requested a UHP canine. The dog immediately indicated the possible presence of drugs, and upon searching troopers found heroin and marijuana.
The occupants were arrested and the vehicle searched further. There were several items in the car that were indicative of criminal activity. The car was impounded and Travis Powers of Windsor, Colo. And Daniel Armbrecht of Pagosa Springs, Colo. were booked into jail.
Police made calls to Idaho and Oregon regarding possible thefts in those areas, and one of the items in the vehicle matched up with information collected by the National Crime Information Center. Officials in Oregon later contacted the trooper to inform him the men were wanted as suspects in a homicide investigation.
The State Bureau of Investigation and the trooper are working with Oregon officials. The two men remain incarcerated in the Box Elder County Jail.
