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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, January 15-17, 2020 A-3 The Park Record County Seat Look for me online at PropertyShopParkCity COUNTY EDITOR: ALEXANDER CRAMER 649–9014 EXT. 15712 | Countynews@parkrecord.com FaceBook Instagram Council supports refugees Letter sent to Pompeo OKs resettlement here ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record In October, the United States did not resettle any refugees, according to data from the U.S. Department of State. It’s the first time that’s happened in nearly 30 years, according to a nonprofit that tracks refugee resettlement, as far back as its records go. It comes in the midst of a Trump administration push to limit both legal and illegal immigration. Last week, the Summit County Council sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Micheal Pompeo advising him that it would be willing to work with agencies and charities to resettle refugees into the county. “Historically, the United States has served as refuge for human beings from other countries who are fleeing persecution and violence due to their race, religion, nationality, and political beliefs,” the letter states. “The Summit County Council believes that the United States, as the greatest nation in the world, has a moral imperative to offer safe haven to individuals and families in desperate need of protection.” The letter is nonbinding, and was approved unanimously. Though signed by Chair Doug Clyde, it was written by the former chair, Roger Armstrong, and drew the support of all of the councilors. It’s not clear what impact, if any, the letter will have. In a December County Council meeting where Armstrong introduced the idea to gauge the council’s interest, Councilor Kim Carson expressed hesitation. “I don’t know what that means for us and what resources we have to support them,” she said. “In general, of course I support it.” The Summit County Council believes that the United States, as the greatest nation in the world, has a moral imperative to offer safe haven to individuals and families in desperate need of protection,” from a county letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo Armstrong said at the time that he was told the odds were low that the county would actually receive any refugees, based on the area’s high cost of living and limited available housing resources. He elaborated on that in last week’s meeting, recounting a conversation he’d had with Asha Parekh, the director of the Utah Refugee Services Office, about the mechanics of resettlement and what the county was agreeing to in the letter. “She said that, essentially, that given our location, given the housing issue that we have and other challenges that we have here, that we’re probably not extremely high on the list of refugee resettlement,” Armstrong said. “But if the need arose, Summit County would be contacted and a discussion would ensue about who, from where, for what purpose, what the needs would be.” The Trump administration has lowered the cap on the number of refugees the country will accept several times. It has proposed limiting that number to 18,000 in fiscal year 2020, down from 30,000 in 2019 and 85,000 in 2016. According to the county’s letter, the U.S. refugee admissions goal has, on average, exceeded 95,000 annually since 1980. Armstrong said the issue gained particular importance to him after a trip to Guatemala, which he said is teetering on lawlessness and where gang problems and gun violence are beyond the capacity of local law enforcement to control. “When you see the people living in those conditions and you hear about people that are living under threat of death, or political persecution or religious persecution in those countries, seeking refuge with countries that are more stable, whether it’s the United States or other Western countries, it seems that now is probably not the right time for us to withdraw from the world stage in that regard,” Armstrong said. R E A L E S TAT E I N S I G H T S . S H O U L D Y O U T RY T O B U Y A N D S E L L AT T H E S A M E T I M E ? In a perfect world, it is always better to sell your home first for the highest possible price, then rent for a while until you find the perfect replacement home. By using this strategy, you are able to move quickly when you find your perfect home, and can negotiate a better price because you won’t need to buy the new home subject to selling your current one. M I C H A E L H AT Z G L O B A L R E A L E S TAT E A D V I S O R +1 4 3 5 9 0 1 - 0 7 2 1 w w w . M i c h a e l H a t z . R E A LT O R ©2019 Engel & Völkers. All rights reserved. Each brokerage independently owned and operated. Engel & Völkers and its independent License Partners are Equal Opportunity Employers and fully support the principals of the Fair Housing Act. If your property is currently represented by a real estate broker, this is not an attempt to solicit your listing. Sheriff’S report Two Park City women are out a combined $2,500 after being scammed early last week, according to reports from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. In both cases, people claiming to be sheriff’s lieutenants called and notified the women they had to pay a fine, and then instructed them to do so using Home Depot gift cards. In one case, two people who identified themselves as current sheriff’s lieutenants called a 44-year-old Park City woman and told her there was a warrant for her arrest and she needed to forward a bond payment to avoid jail time, according to the report. She then purchased two $500 gift cards at Home Depot and read the numbers from the cards over the phone. In the other case, a 63-year-old woman reported someone called her phone, identified himself as a sheriff’s lieutenant and told her she had a fine for missing jury duty. The number that showed up on caller ID was the same as the actual number for the Sheriff’s Office. The woman purchased three Home Depot gifts cards worth a combined $1,450 and provided the card numbers to the person over the phone. Deputies indicated they did not have suspects. According to the Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement responded to several other calls between Monday, Jan. 6, and Sunday, Jan. 12, including extortive texts that included images of decapitated and dismembered bodies and thefts from a business’ trucks resulting in $30,000 in losses. Sunday, Jan. 12 Deputies conducted active shooter and K9 training at South Summit High School. Deputies were dispatched multiple times to parking issues near the Summit Park trailhead at Matterhorn Drive and Parkview Drive. Deputies arrested a woman for having an outstanding warrant after responding to a call that a woman was intoxicated and unconscious outside in the snow. The 47-year-old Park City woman was checked by medical personnel and then taken to jail. Saturday, Jan. 11 Summit County Search and Rescue conducted winter training in the Bear River area and responded to two incidents involving snowmobilers, one in the Slate Creek area and one in Weber Canyon that involved injuries. A Kamas dad contacted the Sheriff’s Office to turn in drug paraphernalia he found in his juvenile son’s room. Deputies met the man in the FoodTown parking lot and seized the evidence, intending to destroy it. Friday, Jan. 10 A man notified deputies someone had attempted to defraud him by calling and claiming they were a social security officer and asking for his bank information. The man reported he did not share personal information. Employees at an Outlets Park City store notified the Sheriff’s Office they were holding a man suspected of shoplifting. The 24-year-old Park City man claimed he had not stolen anything, but deputies found five shirts and a pair of pants in his backpack with tags attached and no receipts. He was cited for theft and told he could not return to the store. A woman surrendered $850 she had obtained fraudulently after deputies contacted her while investigating a suspected fraud. A Pinebrook man who had listed tires for sale online for $400 received a check for them for $1,250, and was told to send the balance of the money to the buyer’s friend. After doing so, the man’s bank notified him the check was fraudulent. Deputies were able to recover the money after contacting the friend to whom the man sent the money. Deputies indicated they were unable to find valid contact information for the man who had sent the check originally. Thursday, Jan. 9 Deputies responded to West Hoytsville Road for a report of a domestic disturbance to find the two people standing calmly at the door. They had apparently had a physical encounter while disagreeing over paperwork regarding a recently purchased vehicle. Both had minor scratches and redness, and were interviewed separately. Deputies indicated their stories differed and that the case would be referred to the Summit County Attorney’s Office to be screened for potential charges for both parties. A property manager of a Kimball Junction shopping center requested deputies remove two people who were panhandling and living in a bus in the parking lot. Deputies discovered the 32-year-old male had a warrant and arrested him. Concerned citizens turned in a purse they found in front of a Kimball Junction restaurant that contained a Brazilian passport. Deputies were initially unsuccessful in their attempts to contact the owner, and are holding the purse for safekeeping. Wednesday, Jan. 8 A 16-year-old received a juvenile referral for theft after stealing more than $300 worth of goods from his Silver Summit employer. The Park City boy admitted to stealing $100 bills from the cash register on two occasions, stealing a $100 gift card and repeatedly stealing candy. He was detained by the business’ loss prevention team before deputies arrived, and was released to his parents after deputies explained the juvenile referral. Tuesday, Jan. 7 A 36-year-old Kamas woman was cited for theft for attempting to steal a $37 dress from an Outlets Park City store. The woman was caught by employees as she was leaving the store, and deputies found the dress in her purse. Monday, Jan. 6 A Snyderville Basin man was texted images of decapitated and dismembered human bodies and was told the sender would kill his family if he did not pay them money. Deputies indicated they could not obtain information from the two suspected phone numbers and that the Investigations Division would follow up. A man said he was attacked by his neighbor at the Echo Island RV Park after he confronted the neighbor because his truck was idling loudly and brightly lit at 5:30 a.m. The victim had visible injuries to his face and neck and deputies indicated they would follow up. A thief, or thieves, stole nearly $30,000 worth of equipment from work trucks parked over the weekend at a business adjacent to the Summit County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies indicated multiple trucks were broken into, multiple pieces of equipment were stolen and that they would follow up and attempt to review surveillance footage. Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright said the stolen items include specialized tools like cutters worth about $5,000 and a hoist worth $12,000 and that the case had been forwarded to the Investigations Division. Get 53% Off the newsstand price when you subscribe! For an in-county rate of only $56 a year, you can save 53% from the newsstand and receive: • Home Delivery • Park Record E-edition • Real Estate Monthly • All Park Record Magazines • Free Sunday Salt Lake Tribune Call 435-649-9014 to get your subscription today! Select option 3 when prompted Save even more with a 2 year subscription! |