SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office will not file criminal charges against a former University of Utah police officer who showed explicit photos of the late Lauren McCluskey to colleagues.
District Attorney Sam Gill said Thursday he believed the actions of Miguel Deras were "reckless," but there was no law broken to file the charges.
Deras showed co-workers the photos of McCluskey despite not being related to work. Deras left the university police department while under investigation in Sept. 2019.
McCluskey was killed in Oct. 2018 by Melvin Rowland, a man she had previously dated. Before her death, McCluskey had filed complaints with campus police claiming Rowland had been blackmailing her with photos he was planning to make public.
Following the decision, Jilly McCluskey, Lauren's mother, used Twitter to ask Gill three questions:
- Did you read the full DPS report?
- Are you afraid to prosecute police officers?
- Do you understand the harm to me as Lauren's representative & to women who won't report to police because they can share private evidence w/o consequences?
In another tweet, Jill McCluskey added, "Miguel Deras showed Lauren's private images to officers unrelated to her case. It is a misdemeanor to share nude photos w/o consent. Deras' actions caused harm to us & to women who will now hesitate to report to police. Please let [Sam Gill] know Deras should be prosecuted."
Despite facing no criminal charges, Deras is currently under investigation by Utah's Peace Officer Standards and Training Council which could suspend or revoke his ability to be a police officer.
