Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Jan. 3, 2024 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
A missing soldier, tales of freighters thrill readers
Donald “Bud” Petersen
A Millard County man declared killed in action by the United Sates Army during World War II was celebrated nearly 80 years after his disappearance.
Donald K. Petersen, or “Bud” to his family, was 20 years old when he was serving as a private first class in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theater. He was declared missing in action in a telegram delivered to his parents, but a rumor said he had been killed by a Japanese sniper; a newspaper article stated simply he had been killed during the Allied assault on Luzon during the closing months of the war.
The search for his remains—a confusing and twisted tale that shows Petersen may have actually been found and then lost again—made news when his family wished to place a military headstone for him next to his parents at the Sutherland Cemetery.
The Chronicle Progress article about the somber cemetery ceremony prompted a man who had successfully sued the Department of Defense for WWII era POW and KIA records to reach out and provide Petersen’s Pentagon X-file, which gave a fuller account of his death and disappearance.
Official files from the Philippines state Petersen’s body likely had been located in Manila by a Filipino mortician, but without dog tags, patches or any other identification, he had simply been labeled as X-1—later X-1368 and stored away with the remains of other American GIs.
A push to identity Petersen in 1948 was almost successful, using skeletal and dental records. It was there Petersen truly fell victim to anonymity, after he was once again labeled as X-1, the same time as another unidentified set of remains was labeled with the same tag.
Eventually, it was discovered that Petersen had not simply gone missing—he had been found, then lost.
Family members have submitted DNA samples to military investigators and hope they are helpful in someday bringing Petersen’s remains home.
Remembering the Freighters
A piece of county lore became tangible after a Hinckley couple published a book on the history of freighters in Western Millard County.
Titled “A Story of Freighters From the Deseret Utah Area to Fish Springs Mines,” the book is the product of Waldo and Karolyn Warnick, and contains all manner of recollections, family histories and newspaper accounts of the freight industry in West Millard County. The purpose? To preserve local heritage and share family memories before they altogether disappear.
The Warnicks didn’t anticipate the book to be very large; Waldo figured there wouldn’t be much information recorded. Instead of the five days he originally anticipated, the book took almost nine months to complete.
The book explores who the Deseret area freighters were, the conditions they worked under, and minutiae including the manner of and amount freighters were paid. It even includes a sundry of stories of the freighting route, including tragedy, mythos, intrigue and riches—a true sample of the Old West.
One such story is that of a freighter, Joshua Rudd Bennett, who would travel as far as Deep Creek, and became acquainted with a local tribe of Native Americans.
“[T]he Indians became very friendly with him and one old Indian named Sobiquin would come and stay with him, as he felt sorry for him and did not want him to be alone. This Indian gave him the name of Muggins, by which he was known to the Indians. They took such a liking to him that when they thought it was time for him to come, they would come to meet him,” an online family history for one-time Deseret freighter Joshua Rudd Bennett recounts.
After reading more on Bennett, Waldo immediately recognized the name of Sobiquin—he was the man his grandmother would tell stories about, from at time when children were told they’d be given to the Native Americans if they misbehaved. Warnick’s grandmother, Grace Cropper Warnick, told a story of when she was eight years old, her brother had jokingly told Sobiquin’s tribe he could take the girl while they were vamping near the family’s home.
Sobiquin grabbed Grace up and rode off for a short distance. It wasn’t until she was in her 60s that Grace recognized his picture in the newspaper and quickly recounted the tale, and how the experience haunted her into adulthood.
And so, Sobiquin’s presence came back into Waldo’s familial history upon researching the freighters.
The project also has a more personal connection for the Warnicks, as Karolyn’s grandfather, John Henry Western, was a freighter in the late 19th and early 20th century. It also introduces over 40 other freighters unknown to the Warnicks; something Waldo calls a miracle during their research.
Deputies Face Charges
The Utah Attorney General’s Office filed felony charges against two Millard County Sheriff’s Office deputies in December after their alleged involvement in two incidents in July.
Deputies Taylor James Frampton and Richard Lee Warren were charged in connection to two incidents in Fillmore in July involving a domestic dispute and a suspect the officers allegedly sought to protect from a potential criminal investigation, according to Fourth District Court records.
Warren appears to be facing the more serious charges, including two third-degree felony counts of obstruction of justice and tampering with evidence. He also faces multiple misdemeanor charges, including one Class A count of obstruction and two Class B counts of official misconduct.
Frampton was charged with one third-degree felony count of obstruction of justice and multiple misdemeanor counts, including one Class A count of obstruction, two Class B counts of official misconduct, one Class B count of access/ dissemination of criminal/ technical records and one Class B count of intentional disclosure of private records.
The two deputies’ legal issues began after Frampton responded to a call on July 1 from a woman alleging another woman, only known by her initials, R.G., was texting her, doing donuts in her driveway and telling the victim she wanted to fight her, according to a probable cause report filed by the AG’s office. The victim also told Frampton the suspect had threatened a male known to the victim the day before with a knife, saying she was going to kill him.
Frampton allegedly asked the victims if they’d like to make statements; afterwords he’d file them with the county attorney’s office to screen for charges.
At some point in the investigation, Frampton called Warren, who was also on duty at the time. The two went to interview R.G., who allegedly told the two she had driven in the victim’s driveway, but denied pulling a knife.
The probable cause would later reveal Warren and R.G. knew each other, and had even developed an intimate relationship by August.
It also describes how Frampton allegedly told the female victim that “nothing was probably going to be done about the incident.”
Frampton asked Warren to accompany him to tell the victims the rationale, as Warren was reportedly friends with them as well, but eventually told the victim a report would be filed—but allegedly never was.
It wasn’t until two weeks after the initial incident that the female victim had reported another incident involving R.G. and the male victim in the knife incident. Warren, who was off duty, had allegedly responded and took R.G. home in his patrol vehicle without alerting dispatch he had another individual with him, a violation of procedure. He was later disciplined.
However, things worsened for the deputies when the victim contacted the county attorney’s office on July 31 to inquire on the status of the domestic violence report against R.G.
Patrick Finlinson, county attorney, told the victim no report had ever been filed, and later contacted Sheriff Richard Jacobson. Both officials agreed an investigation needed to be opened, and contacted an outside agency.
The investigation would later show multiple alleged phone calls between Warren and R.G., and that Frampton had accessed law-enforcement databases to access non-public records, and had allegedly disclosed confidential medical and law-enforcement information with family members.
Both deputies made an initial appearance in the Fourth District Court on Dec. 20. Both are expected back in court on Feb. 14.
IPA Tax Settlement
Millard County’s long-running property tax dispute neared a possible end in September after commissioners voted 2-1 to settle.
The settlement offer, made by Intermountain Power Agency, would seek to halt litigation over the entity’s 2014 tax valuation, and almost a decade’s worth of challenges filed each year since.
Commissioner Bill Wright was the sole vote against the settlement. He told the Chronicle Progress that he was in favor of settling the dispute, but also believed the county could get a better deal by countering IPA’s offer; details of which are still not public. A protective order also prevents county officials from giving any information on the settlement.
Commissioners Trevor Johnson and Vicki Lyman, who are both currently employed by IPA entity Intermountain Power Service Corporation, felt their positions within the company helped leverage the county into a more agreeable settlement.
The settlement includes the county refunding IPA a few million dollars over the course of a few years. The settlement was later approved unanimously by IPA’s board of directors.
The 2014 tax dispute that started the long-running fight with the county centered on a $500 million difference between the value IPA placed on its assets and the value the state’s Property Tax Division placed on them. That value difference became public when IPA submitted disclosures ahead of a bond sale last year.
IPA appealed its annual valuation every year since 2014, except for 2023, when, ironically IPA’s centrally assessed valuation went up for the first time in years.
Accidents Second Half of 2023
A Canadian man was discovered after he was killed in a single-vehicle accident in late September. Karl Hanson of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was killed after overcorrecting his Jeep, leaving the pavement, and rolling the vehicle into a culvert. Police suspect the accident occurred sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sept. 27.
Another September incident would claim the life of a 21-year-old Fillmore woman.
Trinity Rose McElhinny died after she sustained injuries at the Meadow Hot Pots Sept. 29. Police and paramedics responded to the scene when a person called 911 about 4:20 a.m., stating a woman had fallen and hit her head.
Authorities were unsure if McElhinny fell in the water or outside.
One woman was killed in a Holden house fire on Oct. 7. Cynthia Wiley, 57, died after being unable to escape the structure.
The home belonged to Millard High School teacher, Ben Hunter. Hunter was able to escape the home and save two of his vehicles. Volunteer fire crews from Fillmore and Holden fought the blaze after being dispatched before 6 p.m.
The home was somewhat historical, having started life as cabins at the Topaz Relocation Center during World War II.
The cause of the fire was still being investigated by the Utah State Fire Marshal’s Office as of Dec. 20, 2023. Wiley’s body was sent to the state’s Office of the Medical Examiner for an autopsy. Her cause of death still remains unknown as well.
A 12-year-old boy was injured after being struck by a car Dec. 5.
The incident occurred just before 3 p.m., when a group of juveniles were attempted to cross the street near 650 E Main St. in Delta.
“One juvenile successfully crossed the road, but a second was struck an eastbound vehicle,” said Sgt. Greg Kelsey, UHP. The driver of the vehicle, who has not been identified, remained at the scene and cooperated with troopers on arrival.
The boy was transported via helicopter to a northern Utah hospital. An updated provided by the boy’s family on Dec. 12 stated he had received multiple fractures and had hit his head, but remained stable.
