This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Jessica Lind lives in the Poplar Grove area of Salt Lake City near the Jordan River, so she is used to seeing wildlife in the area.

But she became concerned when she saw a raccoon walking in circles in her driveway recently. The raccoon didn't seem right, and Lind was worried it might have rabies.

The animal kept weaving in repetitive rings and didn't react to her when she made noises to get its attention.

She called her father, a wildlife biologist, who said that was not normal raccoon behavior and advised her to keep her distance.

She thought the animal would eventually leave, but when she woke up the next morning, it was still there, continuing its monotonous walk. It was visibly exhausted and would periodically lie down for short periods before getting up and resuming the seemingly torturous exercise.

Lind called Salt Lake County Animal Control to report what she perceived was a potential public-safety issue, but a dispatcher said they don't go out for raccoons.

She called the Division of Wildlife Resources, but agents there told her to call the Utah Department of Agriculture instead.

So, she called that department and was given the number for Professional Wildlife Removal, a private company.

Lind reiterated her concern about possible rabies or other diseases and the agriculture agent suggested she call her local health agency to see if there had been reports of other sick animals.

Although Lind felt she shouldn't have to pay to have someone come out and remove a possible health hazard from her property, she called Professional Wildlife Removal to see if they would come out, or if they had any advice. She once again explained the situation and her concerns and was told the company would have nothing to do with a sick or injured animal. They specialize in getting healthy animals out of chimneys or attics.

When she got home from work that day, she recruited a friend to help her look for the hapless raccoon. It had finally curled up behind a barbecue in her yard and had died.

The episode was over, but it seems the raccoon was not the only one going around in circles.

Heavy handed? • Longtime TRAX rider Richard Anderson was at the Central Transit Station at 250 S. 600 West on Monday to buy his pass at the UTA office when he says he was nearly accosted by a security guard at the complex for trying to drink from the public water fountain.

In a letter to the personnel office of US Security Associates in Roswell, Ga., Anderson outlined what appeared to be an unnecessary escalation of emotions by that company's employee stationed at the UTA/Greyhound Depot complex.

Anderson bought his transit pass about 9:30 a.m., then left the ticket office and sat down on a bench in the Greyhound waiting area. After about a minute, he asked the security guard where the drinking fountain was and was told it was for customers only. He said he had just purchased a transit ticket, so he was a customer. He then went to the fountain for a drink.

"Your employee put his hands on me and threatened to arrest me," Anderson wrote to the company. "He demanded my transit pass. I showed it to him. He demanded I take it out of my wallet and show it to him. I told him to keep his hands off me and to leave me alone … He threatened to have me arrested as I drank water from the fountain. When I turned to leave, your employee shoved his cellphone into my face and assaulted me. I pushed your employee away from me and told him not to invade my privacy by taking my photograph."

Having received a copy of Anderson's letter, I called Remi Barron, communications director for UTA. He talked to the guard in question, who is not contracted through UTA, but through Greyhound.

The guard told him they have had problems with people who are not customers lounging in the building and using the fountain and the restrooms and it is his job to control it. He told Barron that Anderson refused to show him a receipt, which Anderson disputes.

The police were not called and no complaint was filed by the guard or Anderson, except for his letter to the company's headquarters.

But after all the news of people getting arrested and later dying in jail or getting shot on the spot after law enforcement let a simple traffic stop get out of hand, here's my advice to the rent-a-cop:

Let the guy get a drink out of the drinking fountain. If he hangs around and becomes a problem, then do something. But sipping a drink of water shouldn't turn into a confrontation.

Barron said if Anderson wanted to make a formal complaint with the UTA police, they would investigate it.