Armed South Salt Lake officer accused of DUI while in police vehicle

A South Salt Lake police officer has been arrested after he was allegedly under the influence of alcohol while in a police vehicle.

Michael Starley Hatch, 60, faces charges of DUI and carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence following his arrest on Sunday.

According to the arrest report, a UHP trooper was called to the South Salt Lake Police Department at 8 a.m. after a supervisor claimed Hatch was potentially under the influence while operating a police vehicle during a patrol shift.

Hatch, who is described as an officer trainee and was armed with a handgun, was in the vehicle with a field training officer, who said they could “smell the odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from Hatch’s breath.”

After the training officer notified a supervisor, Hatch was brought back to the department, where every officer on duty was asked to submit a breath test. Hatch was the only one of the officers to test positive for alcohol, the report said.

Read more at fox13now.com.

Note to readers • The Salt Lake Tribune and Fox 13 News are content-sharing partners.