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Show Wed/Thurs/Fri, October 21-23, 2020 A-3 The Park Record County Seat COUNTY EDITOR: ALEXANDER CRAMER 649–9014 EXT. 15712 | Countynews@parkrecord.com Fire burns 1,500 acres near Echo THREE OPEN SEATS THREE GREAT CANDIDATES COURTESY OF THE PARK CITY FIRE DISTRICT A 1,500-acre fire continued to burn Tuesday afternoon on the East Side of Summit County in the aptly named Fire Canyon between Henefer and Echo. The fire was human-caused, and started Saturday morning in the Henefer-Echo Wildlife Management area, said Michelle Anderson, Park City Fire District spokesperson. The timing corresponds with the opening of the rifle hunting season for deer, though Anderson said the cause remains under investigation. The fire was initially reported by several hunters in the area, according to the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. No structures are threatened by the fire, though it did approach Old Echo Road. Anderson said the fire is concentrated in the wildlife management area, which has been closed since Saturday. The land is regularly used by hunters and the Park City Fire District indicated the decision to close the area was being evaluated daily. Trump flag fliers draw ire Deputies ask for tolerance amid time of political tension ALEXANDER CRAMER The Park Record The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is asking residents to respect others and act with maturity during the home stretch of election season, apparently a tall task for some as deputies have had to investigate vandalism, sign stealing and, most recently, a profane and threatening letter regarding a Jeremy Ranch resident’s political flag. “I don’t remember us dealing with the amount of political tension calls as we have this year,” Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright said. “And it’s from both sides.” In the latest incident, a family that recently moved to Jeremy Ranch had been flying a flag on their back porch supporting President Trump’s bid for reelection, according to a report from the Sheriff’s Office. Apparently, Wright said, neighbors and passersby could see the flag in the hilly neighborhood, and one person was irate enough to send a profane letter to the family. The letter was relatively short, Wright said, but the half-dozen or so sentences got the senders’ point across. It was addressed to the home and did not include the family’s name, nor did it have a return address. Wright said it did not include specific threats or rise to the level of a crime and that the office was not planning to investigate the matter further. The family moved to the neighborhood earlier this year and the letter told them to go back to where they’d come from. The writer also said they wouldn’t be bringing their children to the home to trick-or-treat even if the family was handing out gold bars. “It’s like, come on guys. Leave other people’s signs and political opinions alone,” Wright said. “Anonymous letters in the mail, stealing signs, vandalizing signs, calling people names because of who you support isn’t doing anything to unite our country or further the cause, it’s just making us look silly.” Wright said that deputies would be patrolling the area more frequently in response to the incident, just as deputies had done after cases of vandalism or sign stealing on the East Side of the county. He said the family didn’t report the issue and that the letter had come to the office’s attention via social media. Wright said the family didn’t appear to want a more in-depth investigation, nor did they appear to have plans to take the flag down. “I don’t care what your political views are, what your personal beliefs are. It’s just vile. It’s foul,” Wright said. “I don’t understand why we as a community have to stoop to the level of name-calling and basically saying they’re wrong for what their political beliefs are.” Sheriff’S report Dueling statements about a fight over parking between construction workers and a Francis resident, including alleged threats with a crowbar, led Summit County Sheriff Office deputies to remain on site to ensure a peaceful afternoon, according to a report form the Sheriff’s Office. On Friday, a 34-year-old Francis man alleged that construction workers were parking in his driveway and that they threatened him with a crowbar when he confronted them about it, according to the report. The construction workers denied the claims and said the man had acted aggressively toward them. Deputies indicated they would refer the case to the County Attorney’s Office to determine whether charges should be filed. When deputies refused to arrest the construction workers as the man insisted they do, the man became irate, and deputies stayed on site until the construction workers left. Deputies indicated the construction work next to the man’s house would continue and that this had the potential to be an ongoing source of tension. According to the Sheriff’s Office, law enforcement responded to several other calls between Monday, Oct. 12, and Sunday, Oct. 18, including multiple burglaries from vehicles and a report of a pickup truck that slammed into the front doors of a store. Sunday, Oct. 18 Deputies responded to Outlets Park City for a report that an alarm had been tripped. They found a crashed pickup truck near the exit of a parking lot and saw damage on the front doors of an outlet store consistent with having been struck by a pickup truck. Deputies indicated that no suspect could be found after a multi-agency search of the area and that the case would be forwarded to the Investigations Division. Saturday, Oct. 17 Summit County Search and Rescue was paged to assist in the Henefer Wildlife Management area because of multiple brush fires burning in the area. The Murray Police Department found a vehicle that had been stolen in the Old Ranch Road neighborhood earlier in the week and arrested a 27-year-old Sandy male for being in possession of a stolen vehicle. Deputies indicated a 32-year-old Murray woman was cited and released and that the case would be forwarded to the Investigations Division to follow up. Deputies cited a 29-year-old West Jordan man for alcohol-related offenses and impounded his vehicle after a traffic stop near Kimball Junction. The man admitted he had several alcoholic drinks before driving and consented to a breath test, which confirmed that he had alcohol in his system. Thursday, Oct. 15 A woman reported her vehicle had been burglarized overnight when it was parked at her Kimball Junction apartment complex. Deputies indicated the case was linked to another vehicle burglary and would be forwarded to the Investigations Division. Wednesday, Oct. 14 A man was notified that his credit card was fraudulently used twice in the Park City area, once at a hotel and once at a fast food restaurant. Tuesday, Oct. 13 A Kimball Junction big-box store reported that several individuals had placed online orders using fraudulent credit cards. Deputies detained the suspects when they arrived to pick up the order and arrested one man, a 21-year-old Parkite, who had been involved with similar schemes at other locations of the chain store. Deputies indicated the case would be forwarded to the Investigations Division. A woman reported two of her vehicles had been burglarized overnight in the Highland neighborhood. Deputies indicated the vehicles were left unlocked and that the case would be forwarded to the Investigations Division. A man reported two vehicles had been burglarized overnight at his home in the Highland neighborhood. Deputies indicated the vehicles were left unlocked and that they did not have information about a suspect. A woman reported her laptop had been stolen out of her vehicle while it was parked unlocked in the parking lot of a Kimball Junction restaurant. Deputies indicated they did not have a suspect. Monday, Oct. 12 A man and a woman both called to report a protective order violation. Deputies indicated the 52-year-old Park City woman reported that the 59-year-old Park City man was not in compliance with the order, which allowed them each to be present at a home in the Highland neighborhood, but at different times. Deputies indicated the case would be screened with the County Attorney’s Office. Don’t stop at the top of your ballot! Learn more about our three state candidates at scdems.org. Meaghan Miller for House District 54 Katy Owens for Senate District 19 Cheryl Butler for House District 53 scdems.org Paid for by the Summit County Utah Democratic Party |