Comments made by Utah mayor in Powell case untrue

An attempt to deflect the blame for missteps in the Susan
Powell case may have backfired on the mayor of West Valley
City, Utah.

The recent release of evidence in her disappearance has
police and prosecutors in Washington state wondering why
husband Josh Powell wasn’t arrested, before he had a
chance to murder his sons in Graham, Wash.

Mayor Mike Winder told the Deseret News Saturday
that authorities here already knew about the evidence, and
could have used that information to keep the Powell boys
safe.

No agency in Washington, however, had access to the full
extent of the investigation into Susan Powell’s
disappearance, nor were they privy to the evidence
released on Friday.

“It is our responsibility to keep the Powell boys safe as
far as we can with the information that we have,” said Ed
Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. “But it’s
also the responsibility of the investigative agency to
move forward with the evidence and the information they
have.”

Troyer, along with the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office
and the state Department of Social and Health Services,
deny knowing the details of the West Valley City Police
Department’s investigation into Josh Powell prior to the
explosion that killed him and his children, as Mayor
Winder suggested.

Winder could not be reached for comment on Monday.