Two members of the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office were recognized for their contributions in law enforcement at the Utah Sheriffs’ Association Conference last week.
Tooele County Sheriff Paul Wimmer was awarded Sheriff of the Year, while Tooele County Sheriff’s Deputy Mindy Millett was recognized as Corrections Officer of the Year during the conference, held Sept. 15-17 at the Dixie Convention Center in St. George.
The Sheriff of the Year Award was presented to Wimmer at the conclusion of his one-year term as president of the Utah Sheriffs’ Association. It’s the highest award his colleagues can give, according to Utah Sheriffs’ Association executive director Scott Burns.
During his time leading the sheriffs’ association, Wimmer went above and beyond in his role as the representative to the state Legislature, Burns said. Wimmer opposed bills detrimental to law enforcement and fostered a positive relationship with the Utah Chiefs of Police Association, while being a strong voice for Utah sheriffs, he said.
Millettt was recognized for going above and beyond during the processing of a young woman who was being booked into the jail on an arrest warrant, according to her nomination letter. She noticed the woman had bruising on her upper body, as well as bruising on her ankles that appeared to be needle injections.
Millettt spoke with the woman, who eventually revealed she had been drugged, held against her will and sexually assaulted over several days, the letter said. She was able to escape after grabbing the steering wheel of her captor’s car, causing it to crash so she could run away.
Wimmer, who nominated Millettt and abstained from voting, said as soon as the sheriffs’ association read the nomination letter, the group knew Millettt deserved the award.
“They see a lot of stuff, day in and day out,” Wimmer said, of corrections deputies. “ … For her to pick up something was extra wrong with this victim is pretty neat.”
Millettt also received an Outstanding Service Award for the same incident during the Tooele County Sheriff’s awards banquet in May.