Fugitive Task Force takes wanted man into custody
Uribe charged with drug-related, flight counts
A man wanted on multiple charges in two counties, including fleeing police, was taken into custody Thursday in Blair County by members of the Fugitive Task Force, who then filed drug-related charges against him.
Miguel Angel Uribe, 27, was arraigned Thursday on two felony charges each of flight to avoid apprehension and fleeing police, along with two misdemeanor charges of recklessly endangering another person and multiple summary traffic violations. Unable to post $250,000 bail, he was remanded to the Blair County Prison.
Those charges are from an incident on Jan. 10 in which Logan Township police running a vehicle check showed a license plate that came back with a “Be On The Lookout” or BOLO alert, related to a previous pursuit with state police in Centre County.
The affidavit of probable cause states that Logan police followed the vehicle to the Sheetz at 400 E. Plank Road and asked Blair 911 if state police needed the vehicle stopped.
Before they could receive a reply, the driver went through the parking lot and traveled at a high rate of speed through the plaza behind Sheetz and then across East Plank Road. Township police tried to catch up while waiting for a reply from dispatch, noting the driver continued at a high rate of speed on Frankstown Road and ran a steady red light at the intersection with Park Avenue before turning at the I-99 interchange.
Police attempted to make a traffic stop but the driver continued on I-99 at speeds over 100 mph. Police stopped the pursuit due to road conditions, got off I-99 at the Pinecroft exit and immediately located the vehicle again, the report states.
Once again police tried to make a traffic stop, but the driver fled from Sabbath Rest Road back to I-99 south, exiting at 17th Street, then turned back onto I-99 north.
Due to road conditions, police again ended the pursuit.
It was later determined that state police Vice attempted to stop the vehicle in December, with the driver at that time identified as Uribe. After running his information, police found he had warrants for a parole violation for drugs. He also had another warrant for flight to avoid apprehension.
Police returned to the Sheetz at 400 E. Plank Road for surveillance video and found that a known woman was a passenger in the vehicle.
In an interview with police on Jan. 11, she admitted to being with Uribe during the pursuit, stating that he almost wrecked the car. She told police he pulled off the road and got her an Uber to go to a friend’s house. He got into a vehicle with an unknown male and she hadn’t seen him since, she told police. She said he sent her a photo of where her car allegedly was located.
Police ran Uribe’s name through the Pennsylvania Justice Network and found that he was DUI suspended, court documents state.
Before the Jan. 10 incident, Uribe was stopped by state police in Centre County on Dec. 20. During the stop, police detected a strong odor of marijuana in the vehicle. When Uribe was asked to exit the vehicle, he fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The trooper pursued him for several miles but terminated the pursuit due to road conditions and safety, as Uribe was reportedly traveling 120 mph, according to the report.
Police received a felony arrest warrant for Uribe after that incident. A warrant was also obtained by state parole at that time, court documents state.
On Jan. 16, the Fugitive Task Force located Uribe at the Rodeway Inn in Logan Township and executed the warrant for his arrest. He was taken into custody without incident, the affidavit states.
During the service of the warrant, a US Marshall saw in plain view a large amount of marijuana.
After securing a search warrant, officers turned up a small amount of methamphetamine, a small amount of cocaine, 24 Suboxone strips, a half pound of marijuana, packaging materials and a digital scale.
In that case, Uribe was arraigned Friday on a felony charge of possession with intent to deliver, along with misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bail was set at $100,000 and he remains in prison.
His preliminary hearings in both Blair County cases are set for Jan. 30 before Magisterial District Judge Matthew Dunio.
Online court documents indicate that Uribe was arraigned Friday in Centre County on charges related to the Dec. 20 incident. In that case, he faces a felony charge of fleeing police, a misdemeanor charge of recklessly endangering another person and a multiple summary traffic violations.
Bail has been denied due to flight risk, the docket states.
His preliminary hearing in that case is set for Jan. 22 before Magisterial District Judge Gregory M. Koehle.
Court documents have Uribe’s address listed as Altoona, Bellefonte and Howard.