MAGNA, Utah — A local police officer is facing charges of driving under the influence and road rage-related reckless driving after he was arrested in Magna last week.
On Sunday, June 22, Utah Highway Patrol troopers said they were called to a crash on State Route 201 near 8200 West around 9:20 p.m. At the scene, they found a Toyota pickup truck that had gone off the road and into a canal. The truck was allegedly driven by 34-year-old Zachary Robert Allen.
Troopers spoke to another man who was apparently involved, driving a Ford Bronco eastbound on SR-201. This man told them that Allen was driving recklessly — speeding, cutting other vehicles off, and tailgating.
The witness said Allen tried to pass him on the left side, but the left lane was merging into the other lane at that point. Allen reportedly ran out of room, hit the dirt shoulder, then cut in front of the Bronco and collided with it. Allen's truck then lost control, went off the right side of the highway, and plunged into the canal.
Troopers spoke to another witness and viewed dash cam video of the incident from another vehicle, which they said matched the Bronco driver's account of what happened.
Investigators then spoke with Allen, who claimed the Bronco pushed him off the highway while he was trying to pass it. Troopers said he had the odor of alcohol on his breath and other "indicators of impairment." Allen claimed he was sober and refused to do field sobriety tests. However, a friend showed up and told troopers that Allen was drinking earlier that day.
"Due to the way that Allen operated his vehicle, was the main driver who caused the vehicle crash, the odor of alcohol emanating from his breath and his mannerisms, [I] deemed him under the influence of alcohol to the degree that rendered him incapable of safely operating a motor vehicle," the arresting trooper wrote.
Allen was taken into custody, and police administered breath and blood tests. His breath test came back with a blood alcohol content of 0.041 percent. However, the trooper believed there was still probable cause to arrest him for driving under the influence and reckless driving with a "road rage enhancement."
Allen was booked with his bail set at $2,500.
A spokesperson for the City of West Jordan gave a statement to FOX 13 News on Tuesday, although they did not confirm Allen's name.
"The City is aware of the arrest and booking of one of its employees for a DUI offense," the statement read. "We take this matter seriously and are conducting an internal review. The City holds its employees to the highest standards of conduct and will take appropriate action based on the results of the investigation. As this is an ongoing personnel matter, we will have no further comment at this time."
Allen started working for the city in 2019 as an animal control officer, according to "Transparent Utah," and later a code enforcement officer before becoming a police officer in 2021.
