By pursuing an investigation into Salt Lake County Mayor Nancy Workman's hiring practices, her deputy mayor says, District Attorney David Yocom is carrying out a threat to "get Workman" that he made more than a year ago.

On Feb. 11, 2003, Yocom, Workman and the County Council were in a tense power struggle over a legislative bill that would have split the district attorney's office. After a council meeting on the matter at county headquarters that day, Deputy County Mayor Alan Dayton says he and an angry Yocom went into the hall and exchanged words, including the following:

Yocom: "I can get Workman."

Dayton: "On what?"

Yocom: "It doesn't matter. An investigation can ruin people. I've seen it happen before."

"I took that as a direct threat" that Yocom would initiate an investigation, even if he knew it wasn't warranted, Dayton said. "He scares the hell out of everybody, and it's because he's willing to use his prosecutorial powers" for political purposes.

Yocom emphatically denies that any such conversation took place.

"I remember talking to Dayton about that bill, but I never made any threats like that," he said.

"I've been 40 years in the business and I know better than to do things like that. . . . I've never had to threaten anyone in my life. I'm surprised he would say anything so outrageous."

Dayton said Workman's federal liaison, Kristie Marshall, was present and heard most of what transpired and that he told several other people about the exchange shortly after it occurred.

Former mayor's counsel Greg Curtis, state legislative liaison Kara Trevino and County Councilman Russell Skousen confirmed Thursday that Dayton told them about the incident at the time.

Marshall was undergoing surgery Thursday and was unavailable for comment. Dayton has prepared a sworn affidavit to use in Workman's defense, if needed.

"If someone would have caught that on film, David Yocom would be disbarred and probably be thrown out of office," he said. "That's such an egregious abuse of power."

For Yocom's part, he says, "These people are desperate. . . . I'm an elected official. I've got a job to do and I'm going to do it. They can slander me all they want. They can tell the stories, but it isn't going to change what's going to happen."

Dayton, Workman herself and others supportive of the mayor concede that she didn't follow proper procedure in the hiring but that a criminal investigation is overkill and intended more to settle a score than to bring about justice. They maintain that Yocom has a history of using his prosecutorial powers to avenge political or personal grudges.

Former county commissioner Brent Overson has long contended the same thing. Overson describes an encounter in 1988, the day after the November election, when he says Yocom accosted him and accused him of bringing about the defeat of a candidate Yocom favored.