Three arrested in 8-month drug investigation

MIDVALE — Three people were arrested early Wednesday following an eight-month investigation into a methamphetamine selling operation, including a man detectives had dealt with just a couple of months earlier.

Investigators from several agencies were holding surveillance on a hotel in Taylorsville about 1:30 a.m., said Midvale Police Sgt. John Salazar. The group was just about to serve a federal search warrant on a room, when two men exited and drove away, he said.

Investigators pulled them over, found three ounces of meth, $3,000 in cash and arrested the two men, Salazar said.

A short time later, the main suspect the group was looking for walked out of the hotel room. He also attempted to leave in his pickup truck, but officials tried to box him in, he said. The man put his truck in reverse and rammed a Taylorsville patrol car before going forward and hitting a Drug Enforcement Agency vehicle, Salazar said.

Investigators attempted to stop the man by breaking out a driver's side window and sending a police dog in after him, he said. A short time later the man surrendered.

Douglas Francom, 52, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer and drug distribution.

After the arrests, investigators entered the hotel room and found three to four ounces of meth as well as meth in Francom's vehicle, Salazar said. In December, Francom was stopped by police and found more meth and several thousand dollars cash, he said.

The first two men pulled over, Carlos Ramierez-German, 26, and Jose Ernesto Mercado, 20, were believed to be supplying Francom with the meth, which detectives believe was being produced elsewhere, the sergeant said. They were booked into jail for investigation of drug distribution.

Francom was well known by law enforcers in the south end of the valley for drug dealing, according to Salazar.

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