Meth in backpack found during traffic stop; two arrested

ST. GEORGE — Two men were arrested Wednesday for possession of multiple drugs while in a drug-free zone.

Shilo Goodwin, of Milford, and Taylor Coufal, of St. George, were stopped by St. George Police as part of a routine traffic stop in the parking lot of Kmart on 745 S. Bluff Street, Officer Travis Willinger wrote in probable cause statements supporting the arrests.

Goodwin was “acting fidgety” during the traffic stop and kept putting his hands near his pockets even after being asked to keep his hands where they could be seen, Willinger said in the statement. During a pat-down of Goodwin’s person, officers also discovered a glass pipe in his pocket.

“The pipe was dirty and covered with a white and dark colored substance suspected to be methamphetamine,” Willinger said in the statement.

During a search of the vehicle, officers also located a bag containing two glass pipes and a container with a green plantlike material, believed to be marijuana, inside of it, Willinger said in the statement. Neither Coufal nor Goodwin admitted to owning the bag.

Coufal did, however, claim ownership of a blue backpack inside the vehicle and consented to a search of the backpack, Willinger said in the statement. Upon searching the backpack, officers discovered a bag containing what is believed to have been methamphetamine inside a prescription bottle with Coufal’s name on it.

Once the two were placed under arrest, both men spoke with officers again regarding what had happened, Willinger said in the statement. Goodwin admitted the bag officers had found the marijuana and paraphernalia inside of was his bag, but that the items inside of it were not.

Goodwin also told officers that himself and Coufal had smoked methamphetamine and marijuana earlier that day, Willinger said. Coufal also spoke with officers again, but told them he had no knowledge of the drugs or paraphernalia.

“Taylor (Coufal) repeated over and over that he had no idea where the items came from,” Willinger said in the statement. “When asked about the meth in his backpack he stated he ‘forgot it was there.’”

Afterwards, Coufal asked officers if he could “take the fall” for the entire event just get if over with, Willinger said in the statement.

Both Coufal and Goodwin were booked into Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility for second degree felony counts for possession of methamphetamine, third degree felony counts for possession of marijuana and class A misdemeanor counts for possession of drug paraphernalia.

Coufal and Goodwin remain in police custody with their bail for release set at $8,000 cash or bond each.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Ed. CORRECTION:  Second person booked and in custody is Goodwin.

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