It wasn't a dramatic standoff or Waco-style ending that resulted in Warren Jeffs being brought into custody. Rather, it was a routine traffic stop for a minor violation that resulted in the arrest of one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted.
But time after time, police say it's the seemingly smallest of mistakes that can lead to the big-time arrest of a dangerous fugitive on the run.
"You never know when the smallest traffic stop can turn into a huge arrest," said Salt Lake City police detective Robin Snyder.
The Utah Highway Patrol has a long history of seemingly routine stops turning into incidents that received national attention.
The most famous may have been on Aug. 16, 1975, when Sgt. Bob Hayward spotted a speeder on his way home from work. Rather than ignore it, he pursued the driver, who tried to flee.
The man was eventually caught and booked into jail for fleeing. His name was Ted Bundy. Investigators would later learn that by the time Bundy was pulled over that night, he had already killed 19 women in two years.
It wasn't until three years later that Bundy was caught for good in Florida. Again, it was an officer's instincts that led to the arrest. An officer near Pensacola spotted Bundy's vehicle, became suspicious and after running a check on the plates discovered the car was stolen.
Following a chase and struggle with Bundy, he was eventually arrested. Bundy was later executed in the electric chair.
On Oct. 4, 1982, Utah Highway Patrol trooper Les Langford attempted to pull over a man for speeding. A wild chase ensued. At one point, when troopers thought they had the man trapped, he began driving again and dragged a trooper who had his hand in the window.
The man, Dan Lafferty, was eventually arrested, convicted and sentenced to one to 15 years in prison, according to the UHP. He was released after 75 days.
Two years later, Lafferty and his brother, Ron, committed one of Utah's most heinous crimes, killing their brother's wife and her 1-year-old daughter.
"A simple violation can bring down some pretty big criminals," said UHP Sgt. Jeff Nigbur. "A little violation can go a long way."
The Nevada Highway Patrol troopers who made the stop were being praised for their heads-up actions in recognizing Jeffs.
Nigbur said that's exactly the reason troopers go through the training they do.
"You're trained to look just beyond the initial stop," he said. "You're actually trained to look for red flags. Sometimes you go by gut feeling."
In 2002, a UHP trooper pulled over a vehicle on I-70 near Joseph, Sevier County, for not having a front license plate. The trooper realized something was not right by the way the driver was acting. What the trooper found in the trunk was an ice cooler containing two dismembered bodies.
Because of those unknowns, some officers will argue no traffic stop is "routine" — although some minor infraction may result in a substantial arrest.
"One of the most dangerous things we do is traffic stops," Snyder said.
Snyder and others say there are many tales of seemingly "routine" traffic stops that escalate into a shootout with a wanted man or a major drug bust.
That's why officers receive constant training and are reminded never to become complacent.
"Complacency kills," said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Paul Jaroscak. "We specifically try to combat that mental attitude of complacency. You never know who you're stopping."
An officer may pull over a speeder dozens of times each week. But officers approach each stop with their guard up.
"It may not be someone just late to church. It may be someone fleeing a crime," Jaroscak said. "Don't assume that what you see is exactly what you got."
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