A couple are suing former and current members of the Monticello and San Juan County police agencies, as well as government officials, in connection with a domestic dispute that led to a Monticello police sergeant being fired.
The claim, filed by Elizabeth Young and Nicholas Ketron in U.S. District Court on Thursday, claims the police agencies, Monticello and San Juan County were neglectful in handling a December 2015 domestic dispute between the two and Young's estranged husband, then-Monticello Sgt. Jesse Cole Young.
Elizabeth Young and Ketron are requesting compensation for punitive damages, attorney fees and other relief.
Elizabeth Young also is asking for compensation for items she says Jesse Young sold without her approval during a yard sale.
The Dec. 2, 2015, dispute ended in Jesse Young — who was off duty and intoxicated — being charged in 7th District Court with assault and burglary. Elizabeth and Jesse Young were getting divorced, says the lawsuit, and Jesse Young showed up at Elizabeth Young's house.
She called an emergency dispatcher and reported that her husband had attacked a man, identified in the suit as Ketron, at the residence. She also said Jesse Young drove to and from her house while he was drunk.
According to dispatch recordings obtained by KUTV, the dispatcher called at least three law enforcement officers: San Juan County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Harris, Monticello Officer Avery Olsen and Monticello Police Chief Kent Adair. All three declined to respond immediately, the lawsuit states, and no one investigated until 10 a.m. the next day.
Young pleaded guilty to burglary, a third-degree felony, and assault, a class A misdemeanor, on March 16, according to the lawsuit, and he spent 10 days in jail.
The Monticello Police Department fired him shortly after the incident. The City Council suspended Adair on Dec. 14, 2015, then fired him on Jan. 12, 2016.
San Juan County sheriff's Sgt. Joe Harris was demoted to deputy and suspended for 30 days for failing to investigate the call immediately, and Sue Redd, the dispatcher who called the officers, was placed on leave after she and Adair were heard on a 911 tape, laughing about the call as she agreed to leave a note for someone to open the case the next day.
tfrandsen@sltrib.com
Twitter: @tiffany_mf
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible