A traffic stop ended in arrest on Tuesday and at least some Fentanyl pills are now off the streets. On the evening of December 5th, 41-year-old Kristine Phillips of Colorado was pulled over in Uintah County on SR-121 near milepost 36. When the passenger opened the glovebox to look for insurance documents, the officer observed a glass pipe generally used to inhale illegal narcotics. The pipe was turned over and the officer observed a white powder consistent with methamphetamine. Phillips and the passenger were placed in the deputy’s vehicle so a search of the vehicle could be performed. The officer noted in the Probable Cause Statement that both Phillips and her passenger were talking extremely fast and showed other indicators of stimulant usage. The search revealed drugs and paraphernalia and the passenger shared that there was $8000 dollars in cash in the vehicle and about $3,000 dollars in his pocket. After Phillips was booked into jail, the officer was informed that she had multiple baggies with white substance consistent with meth as well as another baggie with up to 50 fentanyl pills and another container with more. When interviewed, Phillips said a few things the officer considered suspicious, including that the drugs found on her person were all user amounts and not distribution amounts. Again later when asked, Phillips said the amount of drugs she had was all for personal use and she stated she had 100 fentanyl pills and 26 grams of meth. The officer noted that most users do not know the exact weight they have, instead they know the amount of uses they have. Phillips was arrested for the offenses of Producing, Dispensing or Manufacturing a Controlled Substance, Possession of Controlled Substance, Possession Within A Correctional Facility, Obstruction of Justice, and DUI. The officer shared that a records check showed that Phillips had multiple drug arrests in Colorado in recent years. The officer also noted in the Probable Cause Statement that the Uintah Basin has had 7 fatalities in the past 2 weeks due to fentanyl overdoses and in the interest of the safety of the residents of the Uintah Basin the officer requested that Phillips be held without bail.
