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ESCALANTE, Garfield County – Even in beautiful places, ugly things can still happen.
Just ask Kevin Worlton, who is the former police chief in Escalante, a small town of about 800 people in Garfield County.
“The drug issue, really, I was hired to clean up the drugs in Escalante. That was one of the main things,” he said during an interview Wednesday afternoon in Sandy. “There was a drug problem and there were drug dealers down there, and I arrested them and did what I was supposed to do.”
Worlton has experience working drug cases as a law enforcement officer.
During his 20 years or so in law enforcement, he spent time on the Metro Narcotics Task Force along the Wasatch Front.
“I wanted to help people, and throughout my career I’ve been able to help a lot of people and make a difference,” said Worlton.
That’s a big reason why he says he was hired in Escalante — to help make a difference.
However, what he did while investigating a drug case in 2014 ended up costing him his job. And since he was the only police officer in Escalante, the department was disbanded.
“It was very tough. When I first found out I was being charged, it was hard,” he said as his eyes started to water. “I had to be booked into jail. And that’s something no cop wants to go through.”
The Utah Attorney General’s Office charged him with official misconduct for falsifying police reports and making false statements under oath.
The case centered on whether or not he read a drug suspect their Miranda rights before using their confession to arrest them, and then using that information to arrest other people the suspect knew.
According to court documents at the time, Worlton also failed to keep his arrest and warrant reports “organized and usable” which led to questions about how he obtained search warrants for his investigations.
“Something like a paperwork issue, it should’ve been handled administratively. Not a criminal, something that’s going to impact your life,” he said.
For 3 1/2 years, the case against Worlton made its way through the court system. That is, until last month when the attorney general’s office dismissed their case against him.
“In my opinion, they just rushed to charge,” said Bret Rawson, who is Worlton’s attorney as well as the attorney for members of the Fraternal Order of Police. “There was scrutiny over paperwork. And certainly the paperwork issues needed to be resolved, but not with criminal charges.”
Worlton’s attorney feels the AG’s office should’ve never filed criminal charges for an incident he considers minor.
“He needs support. He doesn’t need charges. If there is concern about a clerical error, lets send him the training or the support he needs,” said Rawson.
Worlton has claimed his innocence all along.
“They filed this hoping I was going to accept a plea deal,” said Worlton. “They know you don’t have the money to fight this. I was fortunate because I had the FOP and the attorney package that I didn’t have to put hundreds of thousands of dollars out, which I would have never recouped. I would have had to accept a plea deal and have this mark on my record for life and they know that. They know you can’t, unless you’re a millionaire, you can’t fight these charges. It’s just terrible.”
Rawson says he’s happy Worlton decided to keep fighting the charges against him. “A lot of people who are innocent give up because they’re just facing a daunting task of having to defend themselves,” he said.
Even though the case has been dismissed and Worlton is no longer facing charges, he feels the damage has already been done.
Not only because the police department was disbanded, but because his reputation has been ruined.
“Any law enforcement job that I try to apply for, especially as a chief of police, this will always pull up on the internet,” he said. “People will always be able to run my name and be able to find out that I was charged.”
As for why the Attorney General’s Office decided to dismiss the case, Chief Criminal Deputy Spencer Austin said in a statement, in part:
“The Attorney General’s Office was prepared to try the matter, however, the City of Escalante requested we not go forward unless we were sure of a conviction. The City was concerned that if there was an acquittal in the matter and they were required to pay the defendants legal costs, pursuant to statute, it would conceivably bankrupt the City. Based in part on the City’s concern, the Attorney General’s Office dismissed the criminal matter and referred the case to Peace Officers Standards and Training for further action. The former chief of Escalante was in no way 'cleared' of all charges. It is the desire of the AG‘s office that the former chief lose his certification as a peace officer permanently.”
Worlton isn’t sure what he’s going to do from here. He’s just looking forward to putting this all behind him.
“I’m happy,” he said. “I’m really happy right now that we came out the other side. It’s a huge relief.”
