TAYLORSVILLE — A Bluffdale man with an extensive criminal history who was arrested after allegedly leading federal marshals on a chase is also accused of operating a drug lab.
Stephen Shields, 46, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with having precursors for a clandestine drug lab, a first-degree felony; drug possession with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony; two counts of failing to stop for police, a third-degree felony and a class A misdemeanor; illegal possession of another person’s identifying documents, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
On April 2, the U.S. Marshal’s Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team was looking for Shields, a fugitive, and spotted his Ford Mustang and attempted to stop it. They attempted to spike his tires near 3500 South and 5600 West, but he was able to avoid the spikes, according to charging documents.
Shields then abandoned his vehicle at a business complex near 4600 West and 2800 South and ran.
“Witnesses directed officers to a nearby office building where Shields had fled,” the charges state. “Shields was hiding in a women’s restroom in the office building.”
Investigators searched the area where Shields was found and located two bags of drug paraphernalia. In his car, they found evidence of bath salts, chemicals used to make bath salts, checks and several documents belonging to another man “containing his name, address, social security number and financial information,” according to the charges.
Charging documents say Shields “admitted to being a part of the manufacture of (bath salts).” Detectives also contacted the person named in the recovered documents and learned that the man and his wife were attending a funeral at a Salt Lake City church in January when his car was broken into and a briefcase with the documents was stolen, the charges state.
Prosecutors have requested that Shields be held in custody without the possibility of posting bail pending trial, noting that his criminal history includes “41 arrests and 21 convictions, seven federal arrests and (he) was on federal probation” at the time of his latest arrest.
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