DUCHESNE — Duchesne Deputy County Attorney David Cunningham has been fired.
He began working for the county in April 2002, after being selected for the newly created position by then-County Attorney Herb Gillespie. County commissioners concurred with Gillespie's recommendation to hire the former Tooele County public defender as a full-time prosecutor.
According to Duchesne County Attorney Cleve Hatch, Cunningham was released from his duties Feb. 10 as "the result of continuing problems." Hatch said he is not reconsidering his decision but declined further comment.
Cunningham, who has hired an attorney to represent him, prosecuted cases for the county in juvenile, justice and district court. After a lengthy process, Cunningham was selected from a field of several candidates. At the time he was hired he was in private practice in Tooele as a criminal defense attorney.
Last year Duchesne County commissioners approved an additional $100,950 for the county attorney's budget to help fund the position of a second full-time deputy attorney. The additional attorney was needed to assist Gillespie with his caseload and free Deputy County Attorney Roland Uresk to handle the county's civil matters.
At the time of his hiring, Cunningham was described by Gillespie as a man who would be "hard as nails" on crime and make "a positive contribution to the war against crime in our community."
It's unknown when or if Cunningham will be replaced. The salary for the position was advertised as ranging from $36,000 to $55,000, depending on experience.
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