PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

August 19, 2024

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

Media Request Form: https://slcpd.com/mediarequest/

SLCPD Liberty Bike Officers Arrest 3 People During Liberty Park Drug Operation 

SALT LAKE CITY — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Liberty Patrol Division Bike Squad recently conducted an enforcement operation inside Liberty Park to address recent community concerns about drug trafficking.

The operation, conducted Sunday, August 18, 2024, resulted in the arrest of three people and the confiscation of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

The Salt Lake City Police Department recognizes the importance of helping to maintain a drug-free environment in our parks. The SLCPD works to address these issues to help ensure a welcoming atmosphere for all park users. Typically, calls for service in Liberty Park increase during spring and summer when more people are in the park.

Community members have reported seeing fights, drug activity, lewd behavior, and other conduct unbecoming of the quality of life expected in Salt Lake City.

To address these issues, the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Liberty Patrol Division has worked to identify criminal behavior and to hold those offenders accountable through strategic enforcement.

During Sunday’s operation, officers arrested 42-year-old Anthony Kilpatrick for possession of drug paraphernalia and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, 29-year-old Elisea Gonzalez for possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and 31-year-old Zackery Johnson for distribution of a controlled substance in a drug free zone.

During the investigation officers seized marijuana, psilocybin, more than two dozen THC cartridges, LSD, and $1,250 in cash.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos.

No photos are available for release.

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