Cedar City manager retires after conviction

Cedar City Manager Jim Allan retired Wednesday, the day after he was convicted of impersonating a police officer by an Iron County Justice Court jury.

Although Allan remains convinced he had the authority and the duty under the circumstances, it took the jury took less than 30 minutes to convict him of the class B misdemeanor following a one-day trial. Sentencing, which could be a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $1,850 fine, is tentatively scheduled in early December.

"The results of yesterday's trial has disappointed and saddened me," wrote Allan in a letter of retirement submitted to Cedar City Mayor Gerald Sherratt on Wednesday. "I hope you know that I honestly believed I was doing my duty as an officer of Cedar City and in the best interests of the public at large."

Sherratt accepted Allan's retirement "with regret" and defended Allan's three years as Cedar City manager in a statement released through the city attorney's office.

"Jim Allan is a man of ethics and personal integrity. He has served Cedar City well and capably and we will miss his broad experience and high level of devotion to our community," wrote Sherratt. "I firmly believe that the recent incident involving Mr. Allan, which culminated in the trial yesterday, detracts very little from his long and exemplary record of service."

Sherratt said he had "no reason" to doubt Allan or his actions.

"He believed he was doing what a city manager should do and that he had the authority to do it," the mayor wrote. "The jury ruled otherwise, of course, but I have no reason to doubt his veracity or that he did not have the best of intentions at heart."

Allan first was charged with the class B misdemeanor in March 2005 after a semi-trailer truck driver complained that Allan flashed a police badge while pulling him over on I-15. Allan maintained he stopped the truck driver because he was driving in an unsafe, erratic manner.

"Further, I also believed, and still do, that I had the authority to do as I did. Unfortunately, the jurors ruled otherwise and I accept their decision," Allan wrote in his letter to Sherratt.

Cedar City Police Chief Bob Allinson testified he issued the special police badge to Allan, printed with the words "city manager" on it, for use as identification during official city emergencies.

Allan praised Cedar City's employees and elected officials, saying he would look back on his three years as city manager with "pleasure and satisfaction."

Sherratt said Allan deserves "our thanks and gratitude" for his service to Cedar City. A search for Allan's replacement will begin immediately, he added.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com