Four persons were arrested Wednesday after a traffic stop turned up a substantial amount of illegal substances and a pistol in the car.
Chance Pearson, 39, faces felony charges of unlawful possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, criminal possession of a controlled substance with the intent to distribute, felony possession of a controlled substance, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
Skyler Gould, 32, was charged with misdemeanor resisting arrest and allegedly had a felony warrant out of Payette County.
Pearl Evans, 24, has been charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, and misdemeanor resisting arrest.
Alexis Shell, 21, reportedly had a felony warrant for a probation violation in Bonneville County.
According to a news release from the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy stopped a car around 25th East and 17th Street at 11:20 a.m. for a traffic violation.
As the car came to a stop in a parking lot, Gould leaped out of the passenger seat and sprinted away. Three other people, including the driver, remained inside and were detained.
Deputies and Idaho Falls Police officers arrived to assist in locating Gould, who allegedly ran across traffic and into a parking lot near Red Robin.
Deputies said they had a “brief struggle” with Gould in the parking lot before he was detained.
Pearson was asked to exit the vehicle when he returned to the traffic stop. When he did, deputies allegedly discovered a weapon on the driver’s seat.
According to the police report, “Drug paraphernalia and a small baggie of methamphetamine (were) located on Mr. Pearson’s person along with approximately 150 fentanyl pills that had been spilled onto the ground.”
Pearson reportedly told deputies that he had been convicted of drug-related charges.
Pearson allegedly told deputies that roughly 50 additional fentanyl pills were secreted on his person and had fallen onto the police car’s floor.
Deputies also discovered Evans attempted to toss a little baggie containing fentanyl pills out the car window. They also found numerous additional fentanyl pills and drug paraphernalia in her purse.
Evans allegedly tried to pull away from deputies while being handcuffed and was forced to the ground. Shell was also brought into jail at the time.
During a subsequent search of the vehicle, deputies reportedly discovered additional drug paraphernalia in the passenger compartment, as well as “a small amount of marijuana, heroin, and items typically used for distributing illegal drugs” in the trunk.
All four suspects were taken to the Bonneville County Jail and booked.
Pearson and Evans are set to appear in court on April 3 for preliminary hearings, Gould for an arraignment on Thursday, and Shell has no other court hearings scheduled.
Though all four individuals have been charged with these offenses, that does not necessarily imply they committed them. Everyone is deemed innocent until proven guilty.