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WEST VALLEY CITY — A Utah State Fraternal Order of Police administrator, who defended former West Valley police detective Shaun Cowley after his involvement in a fatal shooting, is now suing the city for not covering more than $350,000 in legal fees.
Cowley was charged last year with manslaughter in the death of Danielle Willard, 21, during an undercover drug operation in 2012. But 3rd District Judge L.A. Dever dismissed the case against Cowley during a preliminary hearing last October, saying he hadn't heard enough evidence to convince him that Cowley's actions were not justified.
The Utah Attorney General's Office subsequently declined a request from Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill to appeal the dismissal.
Utah Fraternal Order of Police administrator and general counsel Bret Rawson filed the complaint in 3rd District Court on Monday, stating the police union paid all Cowley's legal fees from the day Willard was shot on Nov. 2, 2012, until Nov. 7, 2014, when the appeal was declined.
The cost of defending Cowley during that time topped $351,095, and West Valley City hasn't responded to Rawson's request for reimbursement, the complaint states.
Willard's shooting death involving Cowley and fellow detective Kevin Salmon was determined to be not legally justified by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office after a yearlong investigation. Only Cowley was charged in the case.
An investigation into the department's former narcotics unit, which Cowley and Salmon were part of, found that officers mishandled drugs, money and other evidence. The district attorney's office eventually dismissed more than 120 criminal cases because of credibility issues.
West Valley officials did not return calls for comment on the suit.
