D.A. Lohra Miller's dispute with former prosecutor Kent Morgan takes new turn

SALT LAKE CITY — As Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller awaits an opinion from a Utah district court, a new wrinkle has arisen in her running dispute with veteran prosecutor Kent Morgan.

E-mails sent out last October, and obtained by KSL Radio, indicate a staffer in Miller's office asked five Salt Lake Valley police chiefs to offer their "thoughts and candor on the issue of confidence in Assistant District Attorney Kent Morgan." None responded to the inquiry.

The inquiries stem from Miller's failed attempts to fire Morgan, and then when compelled to overturn the termination by a county grievance board, assigning him to researching and writing for other attorneys, tasks typically performed by law clerks. That move was also reversed, and Miller appealed the ruling to district court.

Salt Lake City Assistant Police Chief C. Scott Atkinson said Friday that his boss, Chief Chris Burbank, did not respond because it addressed a county personnel issue.

"The chief believes this is an internal matter and didn't believe that a response was appropriate," Atkinson said.

Cottonwood Heights Police Chief Robby Russo said his department wanted nothing to do with Miller's request for information.

"It is her fight. It's her mess, and we're not getting involved," Russo said. "Over 25 years, I've known Kent Morgan to be a very conscientious and hard-working attorney."

The decisions from Salt Lake County's Career Service Council are fallout from actions taken by Miller after she discovered Morgan's relationship with the owner of an escort service who was under investigation by the district attorney's office while Morgan was still a prosecutor.

Miller said she is disappointed with the ongoing attention being paid to the matter.

"What we were trying to do is determine an appropriate job assignment for Kent," Miller said. "The situation is taking away from all the incredible things this administration has done."

The county's career council has approved a stay on the second ruling to reinstate Morgan as a prosecutor, pending the district court's review of the decision. When asked if it would just be easier to put Morgan back in his previous position, Miller said it's a matter of principle.

"In my office, I expect the attorneys who work for me to adhere to the highest ethical standards," she said. "I'm not willing to compromise those ethics to settle this case. … I'm not comfortable with having Kent Morgan as a prosecutor."

Attempts by the Deseret News to contact Morgan on Friday were unsuccessful.

e-mail: araymond@desnews.com