This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An ex-West Jordan police officer claims his arrest by his former employer, on drug and misuse of public money charges that have since been thrown out, was a case of retaliation over an earlier harassment complaint he filed.
KUTV 2 News reports that complaint came in December 2008 when then-Officer Aaron Jensen says he became fed up with years of crude jokes about him and his family, including the sending of pornographic pictures to him and allegations that he was homosexual.
In April of 2009, Jensen chose to settle the complaint for $80,000 and then quit.
A year later, he was arrested and charged with felony counts of intent to distribute drugs and misuse of public money. One of the persons involved in the purported harassment complaint, Jensen contends, was an instigator of the investigation that led to his troubles.
KUTV says a judge dismissed two of the charges in 2010, and to avoid conflicts of interest the remaining charge was moved to Davis County for prosecution. Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings dismissed that case in 2011, citing "lack of credible evidence."
West Jordan police declined to comment on the allegations, noting their potential for litigation.
Jensen says that now his record has been cleared, he would like to return to law enforcement work.
— Bob Mims
Twitter: @remims