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A transient attacked a code enforcement officer who was checking an abandoned home near 9800 South and 400 East in Sandy this morning. Now police are looking for that transient.
Code enforcement officers routinely do maintenance checks on foreclosed homes to make sure people haven't broken into them, but that was the case this morning. There was a transient in the home, possibly squatting.
When the code officer came around a corner, police say the homeless man hit the officer in the head with a 2-by-4.
Sandy City police Lt. Mitch Howard said, "Upon arriving, we found a code enforcement officer who was semi-incoherent. You could see he sustained a pretty serious injury to his face." He also had injuries to his back and shoulders.
The code officer is in stable condition and is expected to be released from the hospital sometime today.
As for the transient, he's still on the loose. "The victim does believe he has seen this transient in the area before along State Street, but not necessarily at this home," Howard said.
The transient is 50 to 55 years old, 6 feet to 6 feet 4 inches tall and weights about 200 pounds. He has a goatee and was last seen wearing a green army-style jacket and blue jeans.
Police say they may have stopped this man before, and they're working on getting a sketch of him released.
E-mail: gkennedy@ksl.com
