An ex-Ephraim police officer who resigned in protest after the city reinstated its police chief amidst allegations of misconduct is now suing in federal court.
Darren Pead — who was one of three officers who resigned in June after Chief Ron Rasmussen was allowed to return to work despite an investigation that determined he failed to complete hundreds of police reports — filed the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court, alleging he was a whistleblower who was punished for reporting the chief’s behavior to state authorities.
The lawsuit claims that Pead, along with fellow officers Larry Golding and Jared Hansen, discovered over the summer that their boss had failed to fill out hundreds of police reports, dating back to 2008.