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Utah County Sheriff's Office courtesy photo of 24-year-old Casey Justin Leavitt of Payson on Aug. 18, 2020. 

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Utah County Sheriff's Office courtesy photo of 28-year-old Stormie Lynn Stanton of Richfield on Aug. 18, 2020. 

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Payson police took a man and a woman into custody Tuesday after officials allegedly found several weapons, as well as drugs and drug paraphernalia in a suspicious vehicle.

Officers with the Payson Police department observed the vehicle in the parking lot of the park and ride located at 120 W. 900 North early in the early morning hours on Tuesday in Payson. According to the probable cause statement, officers waited and watched the vehicle for almost 10 minutes, reporting no activity in that time.

After police approached the vehicle, the driver told officers he was able to leave to go get McDonald’s. While the driver was speaking, officers observed his speech was slurred and his eyes were bloodshot, according to arrest documents.

When a name and birthday were run through the system, officials were unable to find any matches despite the driver stating he had a valid Utah driver’s license.

Officers approached the vehicle once again and informed the driver there was no valid Utah driver’s license for the information he gave. According to the probable cause affidavit, while speaking with the driver, authorities observed a holster under the steering wheel containing a Glock magazine.

Officials asked the two occupants if there was a firearm in the vehicle, and both allegedly said no. After recognizing him, one of the officers asked the driver if he was 24-year-old Casey Justin Leavitt of Payson. The driver told police that was his name.

Leavitt was asked to step out of the vehicle. Officers then reportedly saw a plastic bag behind his belt buckle and a tooter fell to the ground. Officers also reported seeing several knives.

Authorities conducted a frisk of Leavitt to check for any weapons and discovered several knives and a pipe with white residue inside his back pocket.

Leavitt participated in standardized field sobriety tests, and officers deemed him able to safely operate a motorized vehicle. During the tests, however, other officers discovered Leavitt had several active warrants for his arrest. Leavitt was placed under arrest and escorted to a nearby patrol car.

After his arrest, officials conducted a search of the vehicle, finding several bags of narcotics, multiple items consistent with drug paraphernalia, small plastic bags and a scale.

Officers also searched a bag that belonged to the passenger, who had previously identified herself as 28-year-old Stormie Lynn Stanton of Richfield, according to the probable cause statement. Inside of Stanton’s bag, authorities allegedly discovered a bag containing a white crystal substance, a loaded Glock handgun and additional drug paraphernalia.

Stanton also allegedly said she had hidden the items because she believed she was going to be able to walk away from the scene, adding that before officials made contact with Leavitt they had met with a friend to exchange jumper cables for drugs.

Stanton allegedly told officers the drug paraphernalia was hers, and Leavitt allegedly confirmed her story, reportedly telling authorities everything in the vehicle is his and he had asked Stanton to conceal the firearm and the bag full of the white crystal substance.

Authorities asked Leavitt if he was selling narcotics to which Leavitt allegedly told police “he has to do what he has to get by,” according to arrest documents. Leavitt also reportedly told officials he had illegally purchased the Glock handgun and knew he was not supposed to be in possession of a firearm.

Through further investigation, police discovered Leavitt’s driver’s license had been suspended and he is required to have an interlock device in his vehicle.

Leavitt was taken into custody under suspicion of second-degree felony possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, three second-degree felony counts of possession with intent to distribute, third-degree felony obstruction of justice, class A misdemeanor giving false personal information with the intent to be another actual person, class B misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanor driving without an interlock system, and class C misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

He was also taken in for active warrants involving third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance within a correctional facility, class A misdemeanor possession of a controlled substance and class B misdemeanor theft by receiving stolen property.

Stanton was arrested under the suspicion of third-degree felony obstruction of justice and class B misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Leavitt and Stanton are being held at the Utah County Jail on $20,570 and $5,000 bail, respectively.