ST. GEORGE — A couple is in jail after a disturbance led to an alleged escape from a police vehicle and a short pursuit that resulted in multiple charges for one of the suspects.

The second suspect was arrested on a warrant issued from up north for escaping from custody, police say.

Officers responded Monday to East 700 South shortly before 4:30 p.m. on what started as a report of a family fight involving a couple arguing outside of a restaurant. 

According to charging documents filed with the court, while officers were en route, emergency dispatch advised that the couple had gotten into a gray Mazda passenger car, which was still parked near the restaurant when the first units arrived.  

The driver was identified as Stetson Kyle Myler, 30, and the passenger as Samantha Sarahi Gonzales-Garcia, 30, of West Valley City. While speaking to the parties, officers determined the altercation was verbal only, so no crime related to the argument had taken place. 

While on scene, however, officers learned that both occupants had used fentanyl within hours of the call, the report alleges. A K-9 was deployed to conduct a free-air sniff around the outside of the vehicle. When the animal alerted to the possible presence of narcotics, a search of the car ensued. 

Suspected fentanyl powder was recovered from the door panel, and a container of the same powder substance and several suspected fentanyl pills were reportedly found in the passenger’s purse. Officers also found paraphernalia, syringes and other items, all of which were seized, the officer noted in the report. 

Officers also found a driver’s license and social security card that did not belong to either suspect. The pair told police they “found” the cards while investigators suspected the cards were either stolen or unlawfully obtained from Northern Utah.   

While officers were still processing the scene, the driver was handcuffed and placed in the back of one of the probation officer’s vehicles. 

Minutes later, officers heard one of the agents yelling at the suspect to stop, which is when they saw Myler running northbound from the parking lot, his hands no longer handcuffed together. One cuff was still attached to his left wrist. 

The suspect continued running north with officers in tow until they found him hiding in a large landscaping bush nearby and, at gunpoint,  ordered him out from under the brush. 

Instead of complying, the report states, the suspect took off running and attempted to jump a retaining wall but was apprehended shortly thereafter. While speaking to the suspect, officers realized Myler was able to get his right hand free of the handcuff by slipping it over the sleeve of his shirt.

Meanwhile, back at the scene the passenger, Garcia, was taken into custody facing several misdemeanor theft, drug and possession of the identifying documents and other charges, along with a second-degree felony warrant issued out of Salt Lake County for failing to appear on a felony escape charge, according to documents filed at the time of the arrest.

The warrant was issued following an incident reported in October 2023 when officers responded to a report of a woman violently banging on the front door trying to get into a residence. When officers arrived, she refused to leave the property, the report alleges. 

When officers advised the woman she was being placed under arrest, a short struggle ensued after she attempted to break free and run. Once in handcuffs, police say, Garcia was placed in the back of a locked patrol unit, which is when she slipped out of her handcuffs, and when officers opened the door to resecure the cuffs, the suspect got out of the patrol car and attempted to run but was quickly subdued.

During the tussle, several paraphernalia-related items fell from the suspect’s bag, along with a debit card belonging to another individual, all of which were recovered by police. She was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail facing felony escape from official custody, along with possession of a controlled substance within a correctional facility and misdemeanor drug and trespass charges.

Myler was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing multiple charges, including one second-degree felony count of escape from official custody. He also faces five third-degree felony counts that include one count each of failing to respond to command of police, possession of a controlled substance, theft and two weapons charges that were submitted after officers recovered two small knives. 

The suspect was also booked on four misdemeanor charges, including two counts of unlawful possession of another’s identifying documents, interfering with an arresting officer and possession of paraphernalia. He was also placed on a 72-hour hold by Adult Probation and Parole.

Myler was formally charged the following day and was scheduled to make an initial appearance in court on Thursday.

Garcia was later charged with four misdemeanor charges, including one count each of unlawful possession of another’s identifying documents, interfering with an arresting officer, theft and possession of paraphernalia and a controlled substance. She was charged with one third-degree felony count of assault by a prisoner in connection with an incident that took place in the jail the following day.

The report submitted by corrections staff alleges that Garcia became disruptive near the visiting area while her handcuffs were being removed, and once her left wrist was freed, the inmate then punched one of the deputy’s in the chest. Garcia appeared in 5th District Court on Wednesday and she remains in custody on $10,000 bail.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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