Josie Greathouse Fox went to work each day with a gun, a badge and a deep compassion for the people in her community -- particularly those struggling with addiction.

She understood. She had struggled, too.

For as long as anyone could remember, the girl from Lynndyl had said she wanted to be a police officer. And the tall, tough girl played the part: She was always safeguarding her family and friends, remembered the slain officer's mother, Cindy Greathouse.

But for a time, Greathouse recalled, her second-oldest child "spent some time learning the other side."

She skipped class at Delta High School. She experimented with marijuana and methamphetamine. And her choices had consequences: She became pregnant with her first child as a teenager.

It was Josie's dedication to her son, Spencer, that helped her turn her life around. About 12 years ago she took a welding job in Salt Lake City, balancing work with raising her children, including her daughter, Hunter, who was born five years after Spencer.

But her heart remained in law enforcement, her mother said, and she returned to the Delta area to join the Millard County Sheriff's Office, going through Peace Officer Standards and Training in early 2005.

"She got all of that out of her system all by herself," Greathouse said. "When she made her mind up to do something, she got it done. It's one of the things I was proudest of her for."

It also made her a great police officer.

"So many people have told me Josie helped their kids get out of the drug scene and overcome depression," Greathouse said. "She knew that there was a good person in there."

Roberto Miramontes Roman was just the kind of person that Josie was likely to help.

She never got the chance.

Early Tuesday morning, during a traffic stop on an empty highway near Delta, the 37-year-old Millard County sheriff's deputy was shot dead. Roman was arrested Wednesday. On Thursday he was charged with capital murder.

Also arrested was Ruben Chavez Reyes, who is in custody on an immigration detainer. Like Roman, he is in the country illegally.

And on the scene, though not charged in connection to Josie's death, was her brother, Ryan, who police say was there to buy drugs. Greathouse declined to speak about her son's involvement in the incident, but she earlier told The Associated Press "he's pretty upset."

On Friday, however, Greathouse preferred to focus on her daughter's life rather than the circumstances of her death.

"She was helping everyone all the time. She just thought she was supposed to protect everyone," Greathouse said. "She was always having people stay at her house, and giving people money. She was just a giving person all the way around."

She also had many friends in the Latino community and would be "heartbroken" at some of the comments Greathouse has heard in her community since the shooting.

"She really respected the Hispanic people, and I know she wouldn't like that some people are lumping all Hispanic people in with this guy," Greathouse said, referring to Roman.

The 6-foot tall woman was active, racing dirtbikes in BMX competitions and playing volleyball and softball. It was as an outfielder for a team through Millard County Recreation that she met her husband, Doug Fox. The two would have celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary on Jan. 18.

Fox shared her bike-racing passion with both her children -- Spencer is now 20 and Hunter is 15. She also was a certified scuba diver and an avid hunter, with many trophy deer in her home. She loved working with her family on a cattle farm, and would help with the branding. She also enjoyed karaoke and dancing, Greathouse said.

"Maybe she knew she wasn't going to have much time, so she just packed it all in early," Greathouse said.

smcfarland@sltrib.com