This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Monticello police chief has returned to work, though his fate as the city's top cop is still uncertain.
Ty Bailey, the city manager, said that Chief Kent Adair resumed work Monday after he was placed on leave last month during a 911-call investigation. The city council is expected to decide Tuesday whether Adair will continue as chief.
The investigation began after the wife of then-Monticello police Sgt. Cole Young called 911 on Dec. 2 to report Young had come to her home — the couple are getting divorced — and attacked a man who was there. She also said Young drove to and from her house while he was drunk.
According to dispatch recordings obtained by KUTV, the dispatcher called at least three different law enforcement officers: San Juan County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Harris, Monticello officer Avery Olsen and Adair. All three declined to investigate immediately.
"Harris was contacted by dispatch after receiving the 911 call ... but failed to respond in accordance to policy," San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge wrote in a media statement.
Instead, Harris and Avery told the dispatcher, Deputy Sheriff Sue Redd, to call Adair for instruction. In that phone call, Adair and Redd can be heard laughing together as Redd describes Young's wife as "mad and pissy." They then ponder briefly on the identity of the man who was at Young's wife's house and laugh about that.
No one began to investigate until 10 a.m. the next day, KUTV reported.
Harris has been demoted to the rank of deputy and suspended for 30 days without pay, the sheriff confirmed on Friday. Redd has said that Eldredge notified her that he was recommending she be terminated, according to KUTV.
Young, 36, was fired from the police department and charged in 7th District Court with first-degree felony aggravated burglary and misdemeanor assault.
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