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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy has been convicted of disorderly conduct for pushing and shouting at a 17-year-old boy while he was off-duty.
Witnesses said Deputy Frank Lucero erupted because he believed the boy had been driving erratically through a South Jordan neighborhood. He was convicted yesterday in South Jordan Justice Court.
But other witnesses said the teen -- who they viewed as the aggressor -- responded by shooting Lucero with pepper spray. After being sprayed, Lucero is said to have screamed that he would shoot the teen.
The teen was also convicted of disorderly conduct, but Lucero's wife, who faced the same charge, was found not guilty.
Lucero had said he was acting in accordance with his duties as an off-duty officer, and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office officially supports his position.
(Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
