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Show Charlie Allen Sheriff Names Deputy for Eastern Areas Despite last-minute opposition Monday form the Escalante Town Board, Garfield County Sheriff Vic Middleton stuck with his decision to hire Charlie Allen, 33, Panguitch, as the county's newest deputy assigned on a rotating basis to the Escalante-Ticaboo area. The sheriff appeared surprised at Monday's county commission meeting when Commissioner Dell LeFevre introduced a letter to the sheriff and other commissioners which he had received earlier that morning from the Escalante Town Board. The letter, signed by Escalante Town Board members, said they felt they were entitled to "have a law enforcement officer stationed in $ the center of Garfield County," adding that "we do not care who you appoint as an assistant or deputy to the sheriff." The letter went on to state that if it (Continued on Page 2) Deputy Sheriff Named (Continued from Page 1) were impossible to And someone in the Panguitch area willing to be stationed in the Escalante area, the board was aware of two certified individuals currently in Escalante who would meet the requirements. They pointed out that Escalante is located in the geographical center of the county while Panguitch is situated in the western-most part. The letter asked the commissioners and sheriff to give the matter some consideration. Middleton had gone into Monday's commission meeting prepared to seek commission approval of this choice for deputy. After the letter was read, Middleton explained to the commissioners that he felt he had complied with the law in advertising property in the news media for deputy applicants. Among the 12 applications received by the sheriffs department, only one was from Escalante or the Escalante area and that applicant was eliminated in the initial review of applications. The sheriff said that after holding preliminary interviews among the remaining applicants, and narrowing the field still further, he made an appointment with the Escalante Town Board to be included on thier agenda. When he attended the meeting recently, he took his tentative choice for deputy, Charlie Allen, along. He said he introduced Allen to the board members and others present and then outlined his plan for law enforcement protection hi the Escalante area. He told the board that plans were to have the new deputy serve alternatively between Escalante and Ticaboo, and that otherdeputies would be rotated also so that all officers would become well-acquainted with the entire county., Middleton reported that Escalante board members ' appeared to be receptive to his plans and voiced no opposition whatever. He said he specifically asked for Input from those present and "they seemed to be in accord with his proposals. The sheriff said that he was sympathetic to the desires of the Escalante Town Board but wished that they had made them known earlier before he had made his decision to hire Allen. Discussion among the commissoiners noted that one of the certified individuals mentioned in the letter had failed to see the advertisement and had not become aware of the job opening until after the application deadline. Commissioners stated that the job opening had been properly advertised. They decided unanimously that the final choice of deputy was entirely up to the departmert head and approved his selection of Allen. Born and reared in Panguitch, Allen is marreid to the former Linda Greenleaf. The couple has two children. A graduate of Panguitch High School, Allen attended LDS Business College in Salt Lake City for three years before returning to Panguitch to participate in his family's businesses, Allen's Ford Sale and Allen's Drive-In. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Allen. Over the past several years Allen began to devleop a keen interest in law enforcement, serving as a jailer under three different sheriffs. In his work as jailer, he picked up considerable firsthand knowledge of law enforcement in action and is well-acquainted already 1 With hi3 fellow offiers. |