A Native woman who was fired from her job as a police lieutenant in Salt Lake City is fighting to regain her employment rights.

Terry Begay is Cherokee and a practicing member of the Native American Church. The police department fired her after an anonymous letter said she and her husband, who is Shoshone, were using peyote and distributing peyote.

The firing was reversed on appeal by the Salt Lake Civil Service Commission and by the Utah Court of Appeals. They said Begay, as a member of federally recognized tribe, is entitled to use peyote.

Begay was subsequently rehired but placed on paid leave. She was not given back pay, however, an issue before the Utah Court of Appeals.

Separately, Begay filed a suit against the city in federal court. The two sides have agreed to enter into supervised mediation.

Get the Story:
Salt Lake, officer to settle in peyote suit (The Deseret Morning News 6/1)

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