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Show The Park Record A-22 Sat/Sun/Mon/Tues, August 5-8, 2017 Inmate death leads to inquiry Associated Press OGDEN, Utah — An internal affairs report says a jail officer in Utah’s Davis County complained that someone reported to the county attorney that an inmate died after suffering a ruptured spleen in her cell last December, a newspaper reported Tuesday. The document obtained by the Standard-Examiner under a public records request said that a Davis County prosecutor’s office investigator, Craig Webb, in February documented a phone call in which jail Lt. Kenny Hammon referred to a “snitch” in the jail. The report said Hammon complained that a supervisor yelled at him for becoming involved in a Weber County Sheriff’s Office investigation of the death of Heather Miller, 28. SILVER STAR TOWNHOME STEPS FROM THE CHAIRLIFT 3 BD | 4 BA | 1929 SF | $1,495,000 | End Unit Silver Star has become the premier ski in/ski out community at Park City Mountain. This end unit townhome, has recently been professionally decorated with additional exposed beams in the great room, reclaimed wood accent walls, 2 decks, a private hot tub & direct access from the townhome to the garage. Easy to show. Call for an appointment. KATE FISCHER 435-513-5015 www.risingstarrealtors.com KateBlanksFischer@gmail.com By MICHELLE L. PRICE SALT LAKE CITY — The Mormon church’s top lobbyist is scheduled to go before Utah lawmakers Wednesday to be confirmed for a top job overseeing the Legislature’s office that drafts laws, gives legal advice and staffs committees. The appointment illustrates what is sometimes seen as a thin line between Utah’s government and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a faith to which most lawmakers and a majority of Utah residents belong. John Q. Cannon was nominated last week by a bipartisan group of Utah lawmakers to take over the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel. The job, which pays between $100,000 and $160,000 annually, includes overseeing a staff PURCHASE TWO TAPAS & THE THIRD IS FREE • Valid on third tapas of equal or lesser value • Max of three coupons per table please • Meat & Cheese plate excluded from offer • Not valid with any other offer • Dine-in only please • Please present coupon Notification of the county attorney’s office by the sheriff’s office, which runs the jail, has become a point of conflict between the two agencies. Rawlings said the sheriff’s office did not alert his office to Miller’s death, nor to the apparent suicide last August of jail inmate Dominic Landreth. The county attorney told the Standard-Examiner that his office must be notified when someone dies in custody. Davis County Sheriff Todd Richardson did not respond to several messages from the newspaper. Utah is not among states that require county jails to publicly announce in-custody deaths. The Standard-Examiner reported it used public records requests to obtain reports from Utah’s 29 county jails on deaths in 2016. It tallied at least 23 jail deaths statewide, the most since at least 2000. Church lobbyist to run office Associated Press 1825 Three Kings Drive #501, Park City It is not unusual for a jail death to be investigated by an outside agency. Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings told the newspaper that his office is investigating the internal affairs report. The Utah Attorney General’s Office later determined that Miller’s injuries were not the result of criminal conduct. Miller had been arrested Dec. 20 on suspicion of drug possession. An autopsy found she died of a spleen injury that jailers attributed to a Dec. 21 fall from the top bunk in her cell. An earlier investigation by Weber County detectives concluded that jail officials cleaned the cell, possibly removing evidence, after Miller was taken by ambulance to a hospital where she was pronounced dead. Webb’s report said Hammon asked to talk about a “snitch” in the jail and wanted to keep the conversation confidential. Valid thru September 2nd, 2017 710BodegaParkCity.com • 710 Main Street, Park City • 435.649.6979 OPEN AT 5:30PM CLOSED SUNDAYS 2 FOR 1 ENTREES WITH APPETIZER PURCHASE • Valid on second entrèe of equal or lesser value • Max of three coupons per table please • Not valid with any other offer • Please present coupon • Dine-in only please Valid thru September 2nd, 2017 BuonaVitaParkCity.com • 804 Main Street, Park City • 435.649.1336 of about 65 attorneys, policy analysts and other workers. In addition to drafting laws and advising lawmakers on legal matters, the nonpartisan office gives guidance on constitutional issues and legislative rules and provides information technology services. If approved by the 16-member committee, Cannon is expected to resign from his job with the church and step into his new role soon. Democratic Rep. Brian King of Salt Lake City said he understands concerns that the church, to which about 60 percent of Utah’s population belongs, has too much influence over the Legislature and why the choice might raise eyebrows. “I get the fact that it’s a concern, but I just think that the kind of work that he has been doing for the church, the LDS Church, is something that he can easily transition away from,” said King, who co-chaired the hiring committee. Cannon beat out four other finalists for the job. He spent two decades working in the legislative office before he left to work for the church in 2012. He said his qualifications and his longtime experience at the Legislature — not his role as the church lobbyist — got him the job. “If I’m approved, I will answer to and be completely loyal to the Legislature and the people that they represent,” he said. Cannon said the Mormon church has a right to address issues it believes are important but added, “I think that people will be surprised at how little the church actually lobbies.” The church has said that it reserves the right to express its views on issues that affect church interests but does not direct its members how to vote. Four members of the sixperson hiring subcommittee, including King, said they are members of the Mormon faith but religion was not a consideration. |