City of Parowan Sued by Former Chief of Police

A former Parowan police chief intends to sue the city claiming he was forced into retirement in 2011.

Preston Griffiths served as Parowan's chief of police for over 20 years. His sudden retirement came when Griffiths was charged with obstruction of justice and official misconduct after he shot and killed a Parowan resident's dog.

Griffiths initially denied shooting the dog, but later admitted to it.

In the notice of the claim, Griffiths says he shot the dog only after the dog attacked him. He does not give a reason for initially lying about the incident.

Griffiths claims that he was given a letter of resignation, which he needed to sign or face prosecution on the charges.

City Manager Shayne Scott called Griffiths' claims baseless.