SLCPD Investigating Hit-and-Run Crash in Ballpark Neighborhood, Community Tips Requested
January 19, 2025SLCPD Officers Arrest Man Accused of Fabricating Medical Emergency of Swallowing Heroin, Suspect Booked into Jail
January 20, 2025 |
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January 20, 2025 Media Contact Information |
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SLCPD Homeless Resource Center Squad Arrest Man on Parole for Drug Possession and TrespassingSALT LAKE CITY — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department’s (SLCPD) Rio Grande Homeless Resource Center (HRC) squad safely arrested a 38-year-old parolee for drug possession and trespassing. This investigation started at 2:45 p.m. on Sunday, January 19, 2025, when an officer patrolling near 400 South 500 West saw 38-year-old Michael Martinez inside a fenced-off area. Part of the fence had been cut, allowing for unauthorized access. Officers contacted Martinez and during their investigation, confirmed his parole status with Utah’s Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P). During their investigation, officers found marijuana, drug paraphernalia, fentanyl, and a shaved car key—a tool commonly used in vehicle theft. According to court records, Martinez is on parole for vehicle theft. The drug paraphernalia included a spoon with a brown substance that field tested positive for heroin, a glass pipe with a crystal-like burnt substance, hypodermic needles, and suboxone. Officers booked Martinez into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on 12 charges, including manufacture or possession of burglary tools, multiple counts of possession or use of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia, as well as criminal trespass. The Salt Lake City Police Department is committed to helping ensure the safety, security, and well-being of all community members, including residents, businesses, and tourists. The SLCPD works proactively to prevent crime, build trust, and provide dedicated and professional police services in Utah’s capital city. The SLCPD uses data-driven strategies, directed patrols, targeted law enforcement operations, and other methods to reduce crime. The SLCPD’s HRC squads are part of the department’s Community Impact Division (CID). In January 2025, the SLCPD launched CID to address urgent and ongoing challenges such as illegal camping, drug activity, and public nuisance crimes, which impact public safety and the perception of safety across high-priority areas, including the downtown core, commuter corridors, and parks like the Jordan River Trail. The CID will focus on reducing crime, improving and sustaining livability, and strengthening community relationships through a proactive, highly visible, and community-focused policing approach. Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos. The information contained in this news release is based on a preliminary review of the details available to the Salt Lake City Police Department. As the investigation progresses, information may change.
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