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MONTICELLO — A sergeant in the San Juan County Sheriff's Office has been demoted in light of a delayed response to a domestic dispute between a now-former fellow officer and the man's soon-to-be ex-wife.
The sheriff's office confirmed that Joe Harris was demoted to the rank of deputy and suspended for 30 days without pay, starting Friday, after he "failed to respond in accordance to policy."
Harris is a 10-year veteran of the sheriff's office, including five years as a field supervisor. He has waived his right to a hearing or any appeals of the suspension, according to a release from the sheriff's office.
Harris was placed on leave Dec. 14 after the delayed response to a call by a dispatcher reporting the dispute between former Monticello Police Sgt. Jesse Cole Young and his estranged wife, who court records indicate filed for divorce Sept. 2.
Young used a key to get into the woman's locked home about 11:35 p.m. on Dec. 2, then confronted a man inside the home and threw him against a wall, according to a probable cause affidavit.
"There was a dent in the sheetrock where (the man's) head hit the wall," the affidavit states. "All of the items on or against the same wall in the opposite room fell off the wall."
Young's wife called 911 to report the incident but allegedly received no help for several hours.
Young, who was fired on Dec. 8, was later arrested and charged in 7th District Court with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, and assault, a class B misdemeanor.
The dispatcher who initially contacted Harris about the dispute remained on paid leave Friday awaiting a decision about discipline, according to the release. Monticello Police Chief Kent Adair also remains on paid leave.
The Deseret News filed a public records request last month seeking copies of the dispatch recordings. However, San Juan County Sheriff Rick Eldredge said at the time that the request would be denied, at least temporarily. The sheriff's office released the recordings "prematurely and in error" in early December to a media outlet in San Juan County.
