Southern Utah fire chief’s trespass charge dismissed after donation, apology letter

HURRICANE, Utah (ABC4) — A judge dismissed Hurricane Fire Chief Joe Decker’s trespassing charge after he submitted a letter of apology and made a donation to the Kane County Children’s Justice Center, according to court documents.

Decker was facing one class B misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass after he allegedly unlawfully entered a property using a code he had obtained while formerly working for Kanab City.

Documents said he used the code to enter the Kanab City Airport Terminal and attempted to “gain access to a current employee’s computer or email information.”

A Kane County judge dismissed the charge at the beginning of the month after Decker submitted an apology letter and made a financial donation to the children’s center. Details regarding the donation amount were not included in public documents.

In his apology letter, Decker claimed he had accessed the building “not to cause harm or to be a detriment to the City” but to “help a dying friend resolve his affairs.” He said he was asked by a city employee to access the building, adding that he should have reached out to another employee before entering the airport.

“Please know that this was an oversight on my part and not a deliberate disregard for any rules or regulations, nor disrespect to the City,” he wrote.

Read the full apology letter below:

To Whom it may concern.

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to sincerely apologize for my recent actions in entering the Kanab City Airport Terminal. I deeply regret any inconvenience or concerns it may have caused.

Upon reflection, I realize that I should have reached out to another employee after I was asked by a City employee to enter the building. Please know that this was an oversight on my part and not a deliberate disregard for any rules or regulations, nor disrespect to the City.

Once again, I apologize for any disruption or concern my actions may have caused. My motivation was solely to help a dying friend resolve his affairs, not to cause harm or to be a detriment to the City. Nonetheless, I should have pursued this through official channels, and in not doing so, I exercised poor judgment. Please accept my apologies for this lapse. I hope we can move forward with mutual respect and professionalism.

Thank you for your time.
Sincerely, Joseph Decker

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