Salt Lake County attorney at odds with neighbors

SOUTH JORDAN — Salt Lake County Attorney Lohra Miller is in a long-standing dispute with residents in her tony South Jordan neighborhood — and recent heating up of the issue has attracted the attention of the Utah Attorney General's Office.

The dispute came to a head after an anonymous writer sent an e-mail to dozens of sources accusing Miller and her family of hosting a parade of parties at their home where fighting and underage drinking take place.

Neighbors have also registered complaints with the subdivision homeowners association that Miller and her husband, Lorenzo Miller, run an unlicensed day-care center in their house.

"The hard part about being a public official is that you have to deal with people who make unfounded allegations," said Miller, reached in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she was attending a domestic violence conference. "It's been hard on my family. It's been hard on my spouse."

Miller, a Republican elected to office a year ago this month, says all allegations about underage drinking are "absolutely unfounded." She says her husband provides free day care to two children of employees of his law firm, but that the family is in complete compliance with local and state law.

A closer look at the messy issue shows a contentious relationship between the Millers and neighbors that began shortly after the family moved there four years ago with their four children.

The Zielinskis, who live next door, call the neighbor's house "party central."

Gary Zielinski said slamming doors and fights have awakened him and his wife during frequent gatherings of young people that sometimes run until 4 a.m. The Zielinskis say they have seen teens going in and out of the house with alcohol. They say they found the circle littered with fast-food wrappers, cigarette butts and beer and whiskey bottles.

Zielinski said he has called police four times to complain about underage drinking, loud noise and screeching tires. He said officers arrived after the party broke up.

Another neighbor, Steve Trayner, said gatherings at the Millers' that bring 15 to 20 cars to the cul-de-sac are regular occurrences. A fight outside the home two weekends ago brought him to his front door. He said he decided not to call police when he saw Lorenzo Miller come out of the house to break it up.

Trayner describes the Millers as "not especially considerate" neighbors.

"I've not seen anything illegal or illicit, but I tend to vote Democrat now," he said.

South Jordan Police Lt. Robert Hansen said the department has only two case reports regarding the Millers. One involved stolen campaign signs and another involved graffiti on their property.