CEDAR CITY – Five Southern Utah law enforcement officers were included with 23 others who were disciplined last week during the quarterly meeting of a law enforcement regulatory panel.

According to a Fox News report, the offenses heard in front of the Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council – or POST – in the Sept. 21 meeting ranged from an officer’s dog that escaped and attacked a neighbor’s chicken to more serious violations like sexual solicitation, domestic violence, drug abuse and misuse of public funds. The punishments also varied from simple warnings to the loss of officers’ badges.

Local police officers who were disciplined included former Iron County Jail commander Galen Bret Allred, who had his peace officer certification revoked for allegedly using a county credit card to purchase 92 gallons of gas in his personal vehicle. Allred is currently facing felony charges for misuse of public funds.

The POST Council also suspended former Iron County Sheriff’s Deputy Adam Burton for 3 1/2 years for domestic violence-related accusations involving a physical altercation last year with former Iron County Sheriff’s Deputy Ronald Skeem. Both men were let go from the sheriff’s office following the incident.

Former Washington City Police Officer Michael Adams was given an 18-month suspension by the Council following allegations of sexual solicitation after being cited at a massage parlor.

The Council gave a two-year suspension to former Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Borrowman for a disorderly conduct accusation.

Shaid DePalma, a Beaver County Sheriff’s deputy, was given a letter of caution for allegations of trespassing and criminal mischief on private property. His agency had suspended him 36 hours without pay, and he had previously apologized to the property owner.

While the number of disciplines appear high, investigators were catching up on a backlog of cases dating back to 2013, POST Executive Director Scott Stephenson said. With nearly 9,000 certified police officers in the state, the number of those disciplined still amounts to less than one percent of the total police force, he said.

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Read more on Fox 13 now: 28 Utah cops disciplined; Utah diversity training planned for police cadets

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The additional cases in front of POST included:

• Kason Boyle was given a two-year suspension for an accusation by POST of falsifying information on a certification application.
• Darrell Broadhead of Unified Police Department was given a letter of caution after an accusation of disorderly conduct. He appeared at the POST Council meeting with his superiors to dispute the allegations.
• Sarah Broderick was given a two-year suspension for not disclosing past criminal conduct in a POST application.
• Silver Brown of the Utah Highway Patrol was given a letter of caution for looking up a friend’s criminal history to help that person with a job application. He insisted he informed his superiors and had no malicious intent.
• Justin J. Butler, a former Payson police officer, was given a one-year suspension for a DUI. “I accept full responsibility for what I did,” he told the POST Council.
• Larry Cunningham, a constable, was given a three-year suspension for an accusation he falsified a return of service of papers.
• Jason Elwood, a former Uintah County Sheriff’s deputy, was given a four-year suspension after POST accused him of having sex while on duty on numerous occasions with two different co-workers. He had been terminated from his job for unrelated issues, POST said. “I just want to take the time to say I regret my actions,” Elwood told POST Council. “I’ve taken the steps in my personal and professional life and rectify the issues.”
• Chance Ferran was given a letter of caution for a disorderly conduct accusation. “I’m sorry to be here. I really just want to put this behind me and move forward with a law enforcement career,” he told the Council.
• Ellen Guadarrama was given a two-year suspension for failing to disclose past drug use, POST said.
• Brett Hadley, a former Harrisville school resource officer, had his certification revoked after POST alleged he solicited sexual acts from a man and a 17-year-old boy.
• Shane Harding, a former Sandy police officer, was given a one-year suspension for accusations by POST that he billed a security company for work he did off-duty but did not actually carry out. He was not criminally charged. “I take full ownership of my actions,” he told POST Council.
• Darin S. Hoover, a former West Valley City police officer, was given a three-month suspension for an accusation of disorderly conduct involving a family fight. “This is the first and last time I ever want to be here. I take full responsibility for my actions that day,” he told the POST Council.
• Steven Kline, an ex-Beaver County Sheriff’s deputy, had his certification revoked over accusations by POST that he pawned boxes of ammunition that belonged to the sheriff’s office. He was terminated from the department, POST said.
• Richard Maes, a former Utah Department of Corrections officer, was given an 18-month suspension for DUI that resulted in an accident. POST alleged his blood-alcohol level was .255. His attorney told POST Council Maes does not remember the incident because of traumatic brain injuries.
• Amberdee Miller-Wilson, a Utah Department of Corrections officer, faced a letter of caution for her dog escaping from her house and attacking a neighbor’s chicken. After she explained she had apologized and taken steps to ensure it would not happen again, the POST Council voted to take no action.
• Jeffery P. Moody, a former Salt Lake County Sheriff’s deputy, had his certification revoked after a 2013 incident involving a family fight that resulted in a misdemeanor charge, POST said.
• Lisa Naef of the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office received a letter of caution in connection with a trespassing accusation, POST said.
• Brandon George Oborn, a former Tooele County Sheriff’s Office employee, was given a nine-month suspension for a criminal mischief and domestic violence accusation, POST said.
• Stacy Souza of the Weber County Sheriff’s Office was given a letter of caution for an accusation of excessive child discipline, POST said.
• Jason Sparks, a retired Tooele County Sheriff’s deputy, was given a one-year suspension for an assault accusation related to a family fight. “I apologize for being here. This isn’t me,” he told the POST Council.
• Former Grand County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin L. Stubblefield had his certification revoked over an assault accusation related to a family fight in 2014.
• Former Springville police officer Greg Turnbow received a three-year suspension over accusations of unlawful possession or use of a controlled substance without a prescription. Turnbow told the POST Council he has been through rehab and asked for leniency. POST initially recommended revocation, but the Council reduced the penalty.
• Sonjia Vasquez, a former Utah Department of Corrections officer, was given a four-year suspension by POST Council over accusations she assaulted a park ranger last year. Her attorney told the Council she had been dealing with some mental health issues.

In addition to the disciplinary action, the POST Council approved expanding its training for police cadets, according to an audio recording of the meeting provided to Cedar City News. The training will include simulator training for shooting scenarios. The Utah Attorney General’s Office is expected to make the training available for free.

Stephenson said he also wanted to increase diversity training to help officers deal with racial and gender issues, as well as people with different backgrounds or lifestyles.

Ed. Note: Information for this article was in part received in a news report by Fox 13 News Reporter Ben Winslow: Seven Utah police officers face discipline for misconduct accusation

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