Utahns busted for buying Wyoming fireworks, beer

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Evanston, Wyo. » Yes, Kevin Reynolds knows it's illegal to bring Wyoming's high-rising fireworks into Utah, but that didn't stop him from buying $400 worth of artillery shells, mortars and firecrackers for his annual Independence Day retreat at Bear Lake.

"Yeah, it's always a worry," Reynolds, of Provo, said Friday of possibly being cited by Utah police. "You just roll the dice. It's just something we do every year and just get away with."

A few minutes later, Reynolds wheeled four cases of beer to his car, too. But some Utahns will have less beer and bang than they planned this Fourth of July.

On Thursday and part of Friday, the Utah Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies used undercover cars to catch people bringing out-of-state fireworks and alcohol into Utah.

In Evanston, Utah police watched the parking lots of fireworks and liquor stores for customers with Utah license plates.

Josh Peters, of Salt Lake City, was one of them. On Thursday, he and his brother bought four cases of beer, some mortars, bottle rockets, a fountain and firecrackers at Porter's Fireworks and Firewater. A dark blue car with tinted windows and Nevada license plates followed them onto Interstate 80. When they crossed into Utah, an undercover officer turned on flashing lights and pulled over the brothers.

"He admitted to sitting in the parking lot [at the store] in his Nevada-plated car, watching us loading it in," Peters said.

The officer confiscated their beer and fireworks and cited Peters with two misdemeanors.

UHP Lt. Chris Simmons said as of about noon Friday, police had issued 19 citations for possession of illegal fireworks and seven citations for illegal alcohol, as well as made one arrest for driving under the influence and one for drug possession.

Simmons said the officers tried only to confiscate and cite people for fireworks that violate Utah law. Generally, that means anything that shoots sparks 15 feet in the air or 10 feet horizontally.

"We do confiscate a lot of fireworks, but we do give them back a lot of their fireworks," Simmons said.

Simmons said officers confiscated some fireworks that shoot 100 feet in the air, "like you'd see at a small-scale fireworks show."

Jason Schatz, a Salt Lake City attorney specializing in drunken driving cases, said the officers on the alcohol and fireworks patrol would have to know what a motorist bought in order to stop the car.

"From a legal standpoint, I don't know that it's necessarily unconstitutional, but it seems a little shady to me," Schatz said.

Simmons said officers see a Utah driver loading the goods and radio to another officer to stop the car.

Peters acknowledged bringing the fireworks into Utah was illegal. He was more upset about the beer citation.

"I don't think I committed a wrong," Peters said. "It's beer. They sell it in Utah."

Outside another fireworks store in Evanston, William Gilbert, of West Valley City, sat in the passenger seat of a Dodge Shadow while his friends loaded the trunk.

"I spent about $400 in fireworks, $50 on alcohol and a carton of cigarettes, as well," Gilbert said.

He, too, was taking his chances on returning home with his Wyoming haul.

"I've got five kids," Gilbert said. "I've got plenty of kids to entertain."