OGDEN -- The family of Glen Lutz buried their loved one Monday, while a police investigation continues into the circumstances surrounding his death.
"We know there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle. We have a glimpse. All those pieces have to come together to get a picture of this mosaic," Weber County Sheriff Brad Slater said Monday. "It's not all there. Anyone who thinks it is is not being fair to Mr. Lutz or to this office."Three deputies -- Steve Haney, Brian Jacobs and Chris Bitton -- have been placed on paid administrative leave since Lutz's death Friday, almost four weeks after Lutz lapsed into a coma after he was restrained during a traffic stop gone awry.
Lutz, 44, was stopped a mile from his home at 2:23 a.m. Oct. 16 by Weber County sheriff's deputy Haney. Haney's report said the man's vehicle was traveling well under the posted speed limit and had drifted off the road three times.
During the encounter, Lutz tried to grab his license out of Haney's hand and fought with him, a report said.
The roadside fight came 12 days after deputies had visited Lutz's home after someone called the sheriff's office, concerned about threats Glen Lutz allegedly made against his wife. A report said Lutz was upset over trouble in the marriage and had threatened to kill Laurie Lutz.
Because of that complaint, deputy Brian Jacobs drove to the Lutz home after the Oct. 16 traffic stop involving Glen Lutz to check on the welfare of Laurie Lutz, who was found unharmed.
The roadside stop turned into an all-out fight, authorities say, prompting Haney to call for backup. Two deputies arrived.
They ended up hogtying him during an eight-minute struggle, with Lutz's hands cuffed behind his back, his legs shackled and the two restraints connected with a rope. The technique is used by a variety of law enforcement agencies to subdue a combative suspect. Deputies then noticed Lutz wasn't breathing and called for help. He never emerged from the coma, and his family decided to remove him from life support on Nov. 12.
On Monday, as the father of two who had married his high school sweetheart was buried, the Taylor resident was remembered as a loving father, avid hunter and dedicated employee.
"Anyone who knew Glen would agree he was a very good person," Ron Coleman, a friend and co-worker said. "All I know is a good husband and a good father is gone, and I've lost a great partner and good friend. It is a very sad."
Even as speakers urged family and friends to embrace love instead of hate and understanding instead of anger, some people were filled with bitter questions.
"I've asked myself a million times how this happened, and I have asked myself why. All I know is it should haven't happened," Coleman said.
Slater, that same afternoon, was grappling with the same questions, obviously troubled by the man's death that has brought his department under such scrutiny.
"I want to do the right thing," he said. "This hurts me."
Slater said Lutz was the nephew of a close friend of his.
"In fairness to Mr. Lutz and to these deputies, the process needs to be followed."
That process includes an internal examination that will examine what happened that night and determine if any policy or procedure violations occurred. The incident is also being reviewed by a multiagency task force assigned to investigate police-involved shootings, homicides or custody deaths.
Lutz's death -- and the questions that surround it -- has resulted in an often angry spotlight directed at the department.
Slater said his deputies are feeling the fallout, with one deputy the subject of profanities being hurled in his direction when he was stopped at a traffic signal.
"There was a carload of people swearing at him and flipping him off," Slater said. "And he wasn't even there. I suspect it would happen whether it was a brown shirt for a uniform, a blue shirt or a tan shirt."
Questions about hogtying continue.
In Oregon, a medical examiner co-authored a 1993 study that looked at 11 cases of California and Oregon people who died in police custody.
All of the cases involved a person acting agitated, out of control and threatened and all continued to struggle after being restrained. Within minutes, they were unconscious or dead.