Suspected drunk man tries to bribe officers with $20 to let him go

WEST JORDAN — A man suspected of assaulting a store clerk while intoxicated, allegedly tried to bribe arresting officers with $20 to take him home instead of jail.

Santiago Medina, 21, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on misdemeanor charges of assault, disorderly conduct, intoxication, possession of marijuana, and a felony charge of offering a bribe worth less than $1,000, according to the police affidavit.

On Friday morning, two West Jordan police officers responded to an assault by an intoxicated person at a store. Witnesses told police that the store clerk refused to sell Medina alcohol due to him being intoxicated.

The clerk accused Medina of walking out of the store with a can of beer he didn’t pay for and hitting her face after she took the beer from him.

According to the affidavit, Medina showed signs of “heavy intoxication,” including slurred speech, “poor balance, was confused about where he was, and emitted the odor of alcohol.”

Officers reported that Medina admitted to drinking alcohol during the evening. The affidavit stated that officers took Medina into custody, believing he would “pose a threat to himself and the public if he continued to roam free.”

After officers arrested Medina, they found a vape on him that had a “marijuana emblem” on it, according to the affidavit. Medina admitted to officers that it was marijuana, and an officer confirmed it by testing the vape.

“Later while en route to the jail, (Medina) repeatedly offered me bribes in the form of monetary incentives, $20, in exchange for taking him home or letting him go free on the side of the road,” the affidavit stated.