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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Police arrested a man who they say tried to hit a Cottonwood Heights code enforcement officer with his car because he was angry at the officer for taking down the political campaign signs he had put up.
Cottonwood Heights police tracked down Richard Carroll Parlette, 63, Wednesday and booked him into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault.
On Tuesday, police say Parlette was driving near the intersection of Brighton Way and Bengal Boulevard when he observed a code enforcement officer taking down campaign signs that were set up on public property. Parlette was the person who set up the signs, according to investigators.
Parlette continued driving for about 200 feet and then made a U-turn, "and accelerated to a high rate of speed," a police booking affidavit states.
As the officer was crossing Bengal Boulevard, Parlette drove at a high rate of speed and partially crossed over the center line, "intentionally aiming his vehicle at the CHPD code enforcement officer. (Parlette) honked his horn at the CHPD code enforcement officer, causing him to jump out of the way of the moving vehicle, nearly missing the officer by approximately 1 foot," according to the affidavit.
Parlette allegedly sped away through nearby neighborhoods, but other witnesses were able to get a license plate number and turned it over to police. Officers used it to find Parlette on Wednesday and arrest him.
