This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A misdemeanor theft charge filed against the former president of the Salt Lake City Police Association has been dropped at the request of prosecutors.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office said in a motion to dismiss that it had been unable to secure the attendance of out-of-state witnesses for the jury trial of Thomas Gallegos, which was scheduled to begin this week. Without those witnesses, the prosecution cannot establish the elements of the alleged offense, the motion says.
Third District Judge Paul Parker granted the motion Monday and dismissed the charge of theft by deception, a class A misdemeanor.
The charge stemmed from money Gallegos received over the course of three years, beginning in 2009, to cover his participation in conferences and expenses while serving as president of the Salt Lake police union and regional vice president of the International Union of Police Associations.
According to a probable cause statement, Gallegos, 47, used his local union credit card to pay for expenses while on trips on behalf of the international organization. He received per diem expense checks from the international group but Gallegos pocketed that money and continued to charge costs to the local union, the charge alleged.
But Gallegos said there was no breakdown on the organization's checks so he assumed they were paychecks and didn't realize they also included expenses. Gallegos — who lost his position with both police groups — repaid the money to the union, which considered the matter closed, according to a union official.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank fired Gallegos from the force in 2013 after placing him on administrative leave while an internal affairs investigation was conducted.
The misdemeanor charge, accusing the officer of stealing $2,161 from September 2009 through February 2012, was filed in September 2013.
Gallegos appealed his dismissal to the city's civil service commission, saying he was juggling responsibilities and leadership positions and simply didn't understand what monies he was receiving and how they should be handled. The commission reversed Burbank's decision in January 2014 and reinstated Gallegos to the force.
The city has appealed that ruling and the case is scheduled to be argued at the Utah Court of Appeals in May.
Twitter: PamelaMansonSLC