Criminal trespassing case against Hurricane fire chief dismissed after apology letter, financial donation

SALT LAKE CITY — Court documents revealed that a criminal trespassing case against Hurricane Fire Chief Joe Decker was dismissed after he published an apology letter and donated to a Kane County department for child victim services.

Decker, 47, faced a formal charge filed in February after he allegedly entered a Kanab city building after hours and attempted to gain access to a computer.

Court documents said Decker knew security information to access the computer because he’d served as the fire chief and city manager.

Current Kanab City Manager Kyler Ludwig later told KSL TV the building in question was at the Kanab Airport.

On October 25, 2024, city staff noticed unusual activity on an airport computer from the prior night at approximately 10 p.m. Security footage later confirmed that an individual had entered an airport office. A city official contacted the Kane County Sheriff’s Office to initiate an investigation. Prior to the incident, the city had taken measures to prevent sensitive information from being accessed. To further protect city property and sensitive information, the city immediately reviewed the computer activity, updated security codes, and took steps to prevent further unauthorized entry.

The same individual tried to access the facility again on October 27, 2024, but was unsuccessful.
Kanab City remains committed to maintaining the security of public facilities and ensuring that all City operations remain protected.

In his apology letter, Decker wrote that he was asked by a city employee, whom he later described as “a dying friend,” to enter the building. He said he was attempting to help his friend resolve his affairs and didn’t mean to be a “detriment.”

“I realize that I should have reached out to another employee after I was asked by a city employee to enter the building,” he wrote. “Please know that this was an oversight on my part and not a deliberate disregard for any rules or regulations, nor disrespect to the city.”

Decker’s initial court appearance in March was pushed to April 15. His defense said it was due to the case being transferred to the Iron County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, the prosecution moved to dismiss the case with prejudice — meaning it cannot be filed again — following Decker’s letter and financial contribution to the Kane County Children’s Justice Center. The case was officially dismissed on April 1.