Small town Utah police chief resigns

Public safety • Mayor will not disclose why the chief resigned or how city is replacing him.

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The police chief of Wellington has resigned, but city officials are mum on why.

Wellington Mayor Ben Blackburn confirmed Tuesday that police Chief Lee Barry resigned effective July 12. Blackburn declined to say why because of a confidentiality agreement between the chief and city administration.

"We are in the process of reorganizing the whole police department," Blackburn said, though he would not comment on where the city is looking for its new chief.

Barry had been with the police department in the 1,600-person town for 26 years. Barry's departure leaves the department with two officers. Carbon County Sheriff's deputies patrol as needed, Blackburn said.

Barry could not immediately be reached for comment.

It's the second time this month a small Utah town has announced the resignation of its police chief. Roy police Chief Greg Whinham resigned July 17. He had been under investigation for unspecified allegations.

mmcfall@sltrib.com

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