By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Southern Utah man accused of alerting employees at a local gym to a pending drug investigation pleaded guilty this week to a reduced misdemeanor charge. His plea marks the end of a case that followed a widely publicized police raid in January.
Chandler Jacob Cory, 26, entered a guilty plea Oct. 8 in 5th District Court to one count of obstruction of justice, a Class A misdemeanor. He was originally charged with two third-degree felonies for interfering with a peace officer but reached a plea agreement that reduced the charges.
Judge Matthew Bell sentenced Cory to 364 days in jail, all suspended except for 10 days, and placed him on 18 months of supervised probation. He was also ordered to pay a $353 fine, write a letter of apology to the Iron-Garfield-Beaver Narcotics Task Force, and submit a DNA sample. Other conditions of probation include maintaining employment, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, and submitting to warrantless searches.
The case stemmed from a January raid at a Cedar City gym, where police shut down the business for several hours while serving a search warrant for drugs and paraphernalia.
The warrant was based in part on claims that a K-9 detected the odor of narcotics — an assertion the gym’s owner later disputed in a notice of claim, a formal filing that notifies the city of an intent to sue. No illegal substances were found during the raid.
Cory, who had been working as a confidential informant for the task force in exchange for leniency on a prior DUI charge, was later accused of jeopardizing the investigation by warning the gym owner and employees to “lay low” ahead of the search. Investigators said his actions may have led to the destruction of evidence.
The gym’s owner, who has denied any wrongdoing, later told reporters that police shut down his business for hours and searched patrons. He said officers found nothing illegal and called the investigation a result of “false accusations.” He has since filed a lawsuit against the city, alleging the warrant used in the raid was improper.
In accepting the plea deal, prosecutors amended both felony counts to a single misdemeanor. Cory did not appear in person for sentencing, which was handled through a paper review by his attorney, Steven Nielsen, and Iron County Attorney Trajan Evans.
Cory must also complete private probation and may receive partial credit toward his fine for probation fees, according to the court’s order.