CEDAR CITY — Two women were arrested following a reported altercation on Interstate 15 north of Cedar City late Sunday night, during which a third woman was injured.
Dana Richardson, 34, and Kinsey Monique Garnes, 18, were booked into Iron County Jail early Monday. Charges against the third woman have not been filed, although her case is reportedly being screened by the Iron County Attorney’s Office.
According to probable cause statements filed with 5th District Court, the incident began shortly before 11 p.m. Sunday when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper was notified of a reported stabbing incident on northbound I-15 near mile marker 64.
The caller reported that she and the driver, identified as Richardson, had exchanged multiple physical blows until the driver brought the car to a stop and forced her out of the vehicle. She also said that the car had run over her foot as it left the scene.
Shortly thereafter, a responding UHP trooper located the vehicle, a dark blue Mercedes passenger car heading north, and conducted a felony stop near mile marker 79, just north of Parowan.
“After advising both subjects of their rights I asked them about what had occurred on I-15 with the other female,” the trooper wrote in the affidavit. “Kinsey (Garnes) informed me after interviewing her that she had a knife that she produced and struck the victim with the knife in an altercation.”
File photo of Iron County Jail, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 17, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
The third woman also reportedly sustained a cut on her head from a large silver ring worn by Garnes as she was punching her, according to the affidavit.
The third woman was later taken to the hospital for evaluation. Her injuries were not believed to be serious, according to UHP.
After receiving the driver’s permission to search the vehicle, the investigating trooper reportedly found multiple packages of raw marijuana, burnt marijuana cigarettes and a small pipe with white powder inside it that later tested positive for cocaine.
A knife was located in the driver’s side door, according to the affidavit.
Garnes and Richardson are both being held without bail in Iron County Jail as they await their respective initial court appearances. Each faces multiple misdemeanor counts related to possession of drugs and paraphernalia. In addition, Richardson faces one count of assault, a class B misdemeanor, while Garnes faces one count of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and one count of possessing a false identification card, a class A misdemeanor.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials 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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