SALT LAKE CITY — A Unified police officer was charged Thursday with being high on fentanyl while on duty.
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Jared Brooks Cardon, 49, was charged on multiple counts following an incident in which he crashed his patrol vehicle on Interstate 15 in Salt Lake City on June 12.
According to charging documents, a witness told the Utah Highway Patrol they saw a Unified Police SUV strike a highway barrier on the right side of the road, then cross over and crash into the left wall of the HOV lane.
After finding Cardon unconscious behind the wheel of the SUV, a paramedic treated the officer with Narcan to resuscitate him before he was transported to the hospital.
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A search of Cardon's vehicle found a small bag with 26 pills that were identified as oxycodone hydrochloride. A toxicology test of Cardon's blood tested positive for fentanyl.
Cardon, a sergeant who resigned in August, was charged with carrying a dangerous weapon under the influence of drugs, driving under the influence, possession or use of a controlled substance and possession or use of a firearm by a restricted person.
Before joining the Unified Police Department, Cardon served nine years with the West Valley City police, resigning from the department in 2012 after he was charged with reckless endangerment for shooting at a fleeing motorist, according to the Salt Lake Tribune. The misdemeanor charge against him was later dismissed when the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office dropped the case.
