Narcotics detectives in Salt Lake City on Wednesday used a battering ram to knock down a door and execute a search warrant on the wrong house, frightening the home’s 76-year-old resident.
"This was a mistake," Police Chief Chris Burbank said Friday. "It should not have happened."
The woman living at the home near 200 E. Hubbard Ave. (935 South) was not injured, though a police officer pointed a gun at her as officers entered the home. Burbank said he has placed one officer on administrative leave while the police department investigates how the mistake was made.
The woman’s grown son, Raymond Zaelit, spoke briefly with The Tribune on Friday. He said a police officer pointed a gun at her, asked if she had a gun and then asked if she had drugs. She answered no to both. His mother was home alone at the time.
"She was petrified," Zaelit said. "She didn’t know what to think."
