3 people removed from Washington City home in handcuffs due to 'quality of life issues'

WASHINGTON CITY, Utah (KUTV) — A man, a woman, and a teenage boy were removed from a home in handcuffs after police, accompanied by federal agents, executed a search warrant.

Washington City Police spokesperson Lt. Kory Klotz said they served warrants at two residents early Tuesday morning as part of an investigation into "quality of life issues," including drug activity, overdoses, and fraudulent documents.

Klotz confirmed via text that federal partners were "tagging along" in case of federal violations, but did not name the agencies involved or say what was recovered.

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Photos taken at the scene show at least one agent wearing a Homeland Security Investigations vest and another wearing a Federal Agent vest. One witness said they counted 23 law enforcement officers at the scene.

A neighbor, who asked only to be identified by his first name, Anthony, said he watched the family being removed from the trailer home.

"It's a couple and a kid, maybe 14 to 16 years old," Anthony said. "They went in there and took everything, a lot of evidence, it looked like."

He said he watched the three individuals be placed in unmarked white vans.

"They were all in cuffs," Anthony said. "They took the woman, she was screaming and crying."

Anthony confirmed his neighbor's names, which matched bookings found in the Washington County Jail system. The charging agency is listed as Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

KUTV reached out to ICE to confirm their involvement in the arrests, including several questions:

• How many people were taken into ICE custody?
• Were any of these individuals minors, and if so, where are they being held?
• What was the initial warrant served for?

A spokesperson for ICE directed all questions to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Washington City police did not respond to requests for an interview.

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