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SARATOGA SPRINGS — A former Saratoga Springs police officer has been taken to Utah Valley Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after he allegedly threatened to kill the department's assistant chief.
On Monday, police issued an "attempt to locate" bulletin for Jared Chuchran, 42, of Saratoga Springs. Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said Chuchran had been making unspecified threats over the past couple of days. The threats got to a point on Monday that the sheriff's SWAT team was called out to make contact with Chuchran, he said.
The SWAT team was gathering near Chuchran's home when they learned he wasn't there and that he was possibly headed south, Cannon said.
By 9 p.m., officers located Chuchran at a campsite near the Little Sahara Recreation Area. Although both SWAT officers and Juab County sheriff's deputies were looking for him, Cannon said some of Chuchran's "fellow officers" reached him first and convinced him to go with them to the hospital without incident.
Multiple firearms were located in Chuchran's vehicle. He was not arrested, but Cannon said potential formal charges could be screened by prosecutors.
Saratoga Springs police confirmed Tuesday that Chuchran was an officer with the department for over 10 years but has not been employed by the city for several months. Police declined to comment on the circumstances surrounding Chuchran's departure from the department and referred all other questions to the Utah County Sheriff's Office, which is handling the threats investigation.
In 2015, Chuchran was involved in a police shooting when he fired three times at a man who had stolen a police vehicle and was leading officers on a chase. The shooting was determined to be legally justified.
