Box Elder County sheriff on leave after crash that critically injured a woman
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Tim Vandenack and Mike Anderson, KSL
BRIGHAM CITY, Utah (KSL) — Box Elder County Sheriff Kevin Potter was involved in a crash on Tuesday in Weber County that critically injured a woman and is now on administrative leave, the northern Utah agency said.
The Ogden Police Department confirmed on Friday that Potter was the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash and said the incident remains under investigation. In a press release Tuesday, which didn’t identify the drivers involved, the police department said the crash at the intersection of Canyon Road and Valley Drive involved a vehicle and a motorcycle and sent the 22-year-old woman driving a motorcycle to the hospital in critical condition.
“Sheriff Potter remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators,” reads Box Elder County’s statement on Friday. “In accordance with county standard procedures, Sheriff Potter is taking voluntary administrative leave while the incident is under investigation.”
Separately, KSL on Friday received a copy of a formal censure letter Potter received from Box Elder County commissioners last May stemming from an unrelated incident: an encounter on Jan. 19 this year with two private citizens.
“While the investigation found insufficient evidence to support a finding of criminal conduct or driving under the influence, it did substantiate multiple violations of Box Elder County personnel policies and procedures and the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office standards of conduct,” the censure letter reads.
As for the incident on Tuesday, the Box Elder County statement said the Ogden Police Department and the Weber Metro CRASH team are leading an investigation into the incident.
“Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident,” the county said.
According to the Ogden Police Department press release from Tuesday, the crash occurred around 2:45 p.m. on Tuesday at the intersection of Canyon Road and Valley Drive, near the mouth of Ogden Canyon.
“Preliminary information indicates a motorcycle ridden by a 22-year-old woman was traveling eastbound on Canyon Road when it collided with a vehicle turning from Valley Drive onto westbound Canyon Road,” the statement reads. “The rider was wearing a helmet. She was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.”
As of Friday, part of the asphalt was scuffed and scraped at the location, and it had green paint markings around it.
The Ogden police statement from Tuesday said the driver of the vehicle involved in the crash cooperated with investigators. Friday’s police statement said the investigation into the matter “is following the same procedures as any other serious-injury crash” and that such probes can take time.
“These investigations involve detailed scene reconstruction, analysis of physical evidence and vehicle data and interviews with witnesses, and they often take several weeks or longer to complete,” Friday’s statement reads. “Our thoughts are with the injured motorcyclist and her family, and we remain hopeful for her recovery.”
The Box Elder County sheriff’s post is on the ballot this cycle, but Potter lost earlier this year in his bid for reelection in the Republican primary.
‘Conduct unbecoming of the sheriff’
As for the separate censure of Potter stemming from the January incident, Box Elder County commissioners said he violated three county or sheriff’s office policies. They also singled out his apparent alcohol use.
“By this letter, you are formally directed to immediately cease the routine possession or unauthorized storage of alcohol in any county vehicle and to ensure your future conduct adheres to the spirit of county regulations and remains beyond reproach,” it reads.
In the Jan. 19 encounter, James Knight confronted Potter, now knowing who he was, because Potter was in a truck on the man’s property. Potter ultimately identified himself as the sheriff.
Later, Knight saw the same truck traveling on I-15 and observed the vehicle edging several times into the rumble strip on the side of the road. The drivers of the vehicles pulled off the road, leading to another confrontation. Knight told KSL last April that Potter seemed to stumble and slur his speech and he noticed what appeared to be a 12-ounce can in the pocket of the sheriff’s hoodie — a can of beer, it turns out.
In the censure letter from county commissioners, they said Potter violated the sheriff’s policy regarding conduct.
“You engaged in a heated and confrontational exchange with a private citizen while off-duty but operating a department vehicle. During this altercation at a freeway exit, you activated your vehicle’s emergency lights to confront a citizen, which you acknowledged in retrospect was conduct unbecoming of the sheriff and reflects unfavorably upon the department,” the letter reads.
The commissioners also said Potter violated county policy regarding maintaining a drug-free workplace by having alcohol inside his vehicle, a Box Elder County vehicle. “Furthermore, you admitted to investigators that you keep a cooler containing beer in your county-owned vehicle,” the letter says.
Finally, he also violated a policy regarding maintenance of the county’s fleet of vehicles by transporting alcohol in the county-owned vehicle he uses, commissioners said. “Your admission that you regularly transport alcohol in a county fleet vehicle constitutes a direct and ongoing violation of this policy,” the commissioners wrote.
The commissioners admonished Potter, particularly in light of his status as sheriff.
“As the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in the county, you are expected to embody the highest standards of professional conduct and strictly adhere to the policies you are charged with enforcing,” they wrote. “The practice of regularly storing and transporting alcohol in a county vehicle, regardless of whether it is consumed on-duty, is a lapse in judgment that undermines public trust and sets a poor example for the members of your office.”