WASHINGTON CITY, Utah — A St. George man is being held without bail following a traffic stop where officers in Washington City found four explosive devices that were confiscated by the bomb squad. This is one of several incidents involving the suspect, including one in January that severely injured a four-year-old boy, St. George News reports.
Logan Mertlich, 36, of St. George, faces a second-degree felony count of recklessness - incendiary device and third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance for what appeared to be marijuana, methamphetamine and psychedelic mushrooms allegedly found during the search of his vehicle, the report says.
The arrest stems from an incident that began shortly before 11 p.m. Saturday, when a patrol officer in Washington City observed a white passenger vehicle turn onto Telegraph from the parking lot of a gas station without using a turn signal, according to a probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.
The officer ran the license plate, which showed no proof of insurance, and initiated a traffic stop as the car headed east on Telegraph. While speaking to the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle, later identified as Mertlich, the officer detected the odor of burned marijuana.
The officer also noticed a clear baggie containing what appeared to be marijuana and a glass pipe near the center console and called for backup to assist with the stop. The driver, who was attempting to find proof of insurance on his phone, which he eventually failed to find, was asked to exit the car as additional officers pulled up to the scene. The driver told officers he did not have a medical card authorizing him to use marijuana but did have a note from his doctor.
When asked if he had any weapons, the suspect said he didn’t, except maybe a “large knife,” the officer noted in the report.
It was during a search of the suspect’s vehicle that officers reportedly recovered “a white box with what appeared to be home-made explosives,” the officer noted, including four cylindrical objects with what looked to be an electrical fuse coming from each of the cylinders.
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