MANTUA, Utah (ABC4) – The chief of the Mantua Police Department has been dismissed and two other Mantua Police officers have resigned.
The now-former Chief of Mantua Police, Michael Castro, tells ABC4 that he was asked to resign two days after receiving Police Chief of the Year for a small town by the Utah Chiefs of Police Association over a “disagreement” with the city.
Castro says he refused to resign, so he was dismissed.
Two other part-time officers have also resigned due to Chief Castro’s dismissal, leaving Mantua with no police officers at this time.
Mantua resident, Robert Clayton, tells ABC4 he is upset by the news of Castro’s dismissal, calling for transparency from Mantua Mayor Mike Johnson.
“We as a town we don’t know what that means as far as our security, our police force, I mean it’s a well-known story now that we don’t have police coverage going on so what does that mean as far as our ability to have patrol our ability to have responses in emergencies,” Clayton said.
The Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office tells ABC4 that their deputies will be responding to calls in Mantua in the absence of their police force.
Former Mantua Police Chief, Shane J. Zilles was previously arrested twice, once for suspicion of DUI and a second time for drug possession.
