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PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Utah County sheriff's deputies are making pretext stops of people using a county substance-abuse clinic, the county Substance Abuse Local Authority Board was told.
The clinic is next to the sheriff's office in Provo.
Sheriff's Sgt. Dennis Harris said neither he nor Sheriff James Tracy had heard about the complaint until after the meeting Tuesday afternoon.
Harris said he spoke with Tracy, who is on vacation until Friday, and was told that the sheriff personally would look into the complaint.
The complaint was made by Cristie Peterson, who said her granddaughter was pulled over and taken to jail on a warrant after leaving the clinic.
Peterson said she created a questionnaire and passed it out to those receiving treatment. She said a majority reported being pulled over at least once and a majority of those had been pulled over multiple times.
She said reasons given for the stops included dirty windows and passengers not wearing seat belts.
One respondent said it is "safer to go to a drug house and get drugs than to go to the clinic to get clean" and be arrested, she said.
Peterson specifically mentioned Deputy George Alexanderson, who denied that he or any other deputies were staking out the clinic.
"What are we supposed to do, put a bag over our heads when we see someone (breaking the law while leaving the clinic)?" he said. If people drive to the clinic on a suspended license or with warrants for their arrest, "they're doing so at their own risk."
County Commissioner Steve White said the commission has no jurisdiction over deputies, and changes or disciplinary actions must be taken by the sheriff.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
