Police answer family's questions about search

SALT LAKE CITY — Salvia Miramontes calls her 10-year-old son several times a day, since she doesn't see him as much anymore.

Even though the mother of three has moved back into her Salt Lake home, which was damaged by tear gas when police were searching for an armed man accused in the shooting death of a Millard County sheriff's deputy on Jan. 5, Miramontes believes the damaged home is not currently suitable for her children to live there.

"The little one, he is 10 years old," she said. "He asks, 'Mom, can't I go back and sleep in my room?' I tell him not yet."

Police surrounded the home believing 37-year-old Roberto Miramontes Roman, a relative of the family who is accused of shooting deputy Josie Greathouse Fox, was possibly hiding in the Miramontes' home near 300 South and 1050 West in the hours following the shooting near Delta. Recent information has revealed that Roman and Ruben Chavez-Reyes, another man charged in the incident, were actually a few doors away.

The Miramontes family said police treated them like they aided their accused relative, but Salvia Miramontes believes the truth is finally coming out, especially with information that law enforcement officials evacuating the neighborhood actually came in contact with the men but did not recognized them and ordered the men and a family they were with to leave the area for safety reasons.

The Miramontes family and neighbors attended a question-and-answer session with Salt Lake Police Chief Chris Burbank Wednesday night to discuss that information and address concerns that they feel police should be more open with the community in such situations.

Burbank declined to address some questions because of the ongoing homicide investigation but openly admitted that mistakes were made leading to Roman and Chavez-Reyes escaping from the neighborhood police were searching. The men were found the next day hiding in a barn in Beaver County.

"It really disappoints me that the individual was where we thought he was, and we had a lot of law enforcement there, and we didn't catch him," Burbank told residents of the Poplar Grove area attending the meeting held at the police department's Pioneer Precinct.

"A mistake was made there," Burbank said. "(The men) should have been identified."

Responding to questions about the Miramontes home, which has been the subject of controversy since the family complained about the home's reported $25,000 in damage, Burbank said tear gas is an irritant but not otherwise harmful.

"It's a very safe product; doesn't have a lethal component," he said.

But Salvia Miramontes still won't let her three children back into the home while damage claims are being assessed.

Community activist and neighbor Michael Clara said the real issue is the "cloud of suspicion" still pointing at the Miramontes family.

"They're treated as guilty to be proven innocent, instead of treated innocent until proven guilty," said Daniel Argueta, another family friend.

Other neighbors were hopeful that a better relationship between police and citizens could be established, one that would allow citizens to help police avoid similar situations in the future.

e-mail: lgroves@desnews.com