Tag: utah

‘This Is Assault’: Utah Woman Speaks Out After Cop Body Slammed Her at Data Center Protest

A Utah woman is speaking out after video showed a police officer slamming her to the ground as she was protesting against the approval of an artificial intelligence data center.

In a Thursday interview with Fox 13 Salt Lake City, 27-year-old Aspen Azalea demanded the firing of Utah County Sheriff’s Deputy Phillip Crawford after he was caught on video throwing her to the ground during a Wednesday night meeting of the Utah County Planning Commission in the city of Provo.

“Bare minimum, Phil Crawford needs to be fired, bare minimum,” Azalea said. “This is assault. He did throw me to the ground.”

Video of the incident shows Crawford pulling Azalea out of her seat at the meeting and escorting her out of the main chamber. Shortly after bringing her into the lobby area, he slams her face-first onto the floor.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office claimed that Azalea kicked Crawford in the groin just before he slammed her to the ground, which Azalea denied.

“No, I never kicked him,” she told Fox 13 Salt Lake City. “I absolutely didn’t kick him.”

The woman also noted that, had the deputy thrown her to the ground just a few feet further, she could have hit her head on a nearby bench.

“What really scares me about that situation is that he could have killed me because there was a bench,” she said. “If he threw me into that bench, I don’t think I’d be here today.”

In a separate interview published Thursday by The Salt Lake Tribune, Azalea said that she suffered a concussion, as well as bruises on her jaw, knee, and shoulder.

Azalea acknowledged to The Salt Lake Tribune that she shouted during the Wednesday meeting, as she has shouted at other meetings to protest the development of data centers.

“I have a habit of talking at data center meetings,” she told the newspaper. “But never have I been met with such excessive force.”

Azalea faces misdemeanor charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, and disrupting a meeting.

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Utah man federally charged after allegedly making threats online to ‘blow up’ a synagogue

A Utah man who allegedly posted “I wanna blow up a synagogue” online has been indicted on federal charges after investigators recovered six pipe bombs, two rifles, and ammunition from his home, according to the Department of Justice.

Skyler AJ Rose, 22, of Ogden, was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City. The charges include attempting to commit a hate crime, possession of an unregistered destructive device, and threatening to kill and injure people and destroy a building with an explosive, the Justice Department announced Thursday.

According to court documents, Rose made multiple threatening social media posts on December 23, 2025, including the threat to bomb a synagogue. Investigators traced the posts to an IP address associated with the home where he lived.

The FBI contacted the Ogden City Police Department for assistance visiting the residence, and investigators confirmed that the social media handle belonged to Rose, authorities said.

During a search of the home, law enforcement allegedly recovered six improvised explosive pipe bombs, one inert device, and materials and components that could be used to build additional pipe bombs. Investigators also seized two rifles with accompanying magazines and ammunition, along with a Samsung cellphone.

A subsequent search of the phone allegedly revealed that Rose had searched online for a synagogue near him in November 2025, a month before the threatening posts. Authorities also alleged that the phone contained hundreds of cached images and screenshots depicting child sexual abuse material.

“Today’s indictment stops in its tracks an alleged plan to carry out a violent attack on a synagogue,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Department of Justice will take decisive action to protect American worshippers from violent threats, no matter where they occur.”

US Attorney Melissa Holyoak credited federal investigators and local police with stopping the alleged threats before anyone was harmed.

“Let these charges serve as a clear warning: if you attack or attempt to attack a place of worship, you will face the full force of the federal government,” Holyoak said.

Rose’s initial appearance is scheduled for Friday, October 23, at 1:30 pm at the Orrin G. Hatch US Courthouse in Salt Lake City.

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The Accused Assassins from Butler to Utah, and the Parents Who Escape Investigation

If the public is barred from learning about the parents of Lance Twiggs, Tyler Robinson, or Thomas Crooks, then the government must not be allowed to investigate or expose anyone’s family, no matter the crime or who is accused.

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Foreign involvement has been the focus of respected independent reporters and podcasters, while mainstream media have largely ignored questions about the families of the accused assassin of Charlie Kirk and the accused would-be assassin of President Trump and killer of Corey Comperatore and James Copenhaver. Why not start closer to home, in the United States, with the families? The parents of both accused assassins have documented connections to the behavioral-health industry.

Reports describe Lance Twiggs as a straight-A student in an accelerated program and say his parents sent him money for expenses, including doctor visits and prescription drugs. The public deserves records establishing what support was provided, when, and what the family knew.

Concerning questions have come to light regarding public Utah records linking Scott Miles to Intermountain Support Coordination Services, LLC, where Amber Robinson also worked, and Utah Tech University where Lance Twiggs attended UT SUCCESS Academy, a gifted program. Utah officials should disclose when Robinson and Miles worked with the behavioral provider, Miles’s university role during Twiggs’ enrollment, whether Miles and Twiggs ever met, and what state officials knew.  The timelines and influential relationships surrounding Twiggs are facts that can easily be confirmed by Governor Cox, afterall; he has total access to this information.

These same questions apply to both Thomas Crooks’s parents as well as Tyler Robinson’s parents whose professional backgrounds in behavioral health and recent financial issues have drawn attention. Did the parents supply to investigators education records, mental health records including all psychiatric drug “treatment,” and any participation in special government programs? A congressional task-force report said access to some FBI and ATF records was limited, including a recording of an interview with Crooks’s parents. Officials should identify what remains withheld and under what authority.

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DOJ Announces Charges Against Utah Postal Worker For Trashing More Than 300 Mail-In Ballots

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced a postal worker was indicted for discarding more than 300 mail-in ballots in a dumpster.

A grand jury indicted 34-year-old Damon Matai Seei on September 16 on one count of Unlawful Secretion, Destruction, and Delay of Mail.

Seei was arraigned at a federal courthouse in Utah on Tuesday afternoon.

“[On] June 3, 2026, SEEI threw away some of the mail, which he had been entrusted to deliver, into a dumpster in a church parking lot. He later admitted in an interview that he threw away the mail because he wanted to “lighten his workload” so he could presumably go home earlier,” the Justice Department’s detention memo read.

“When American voters lawfully cast their vote, they should feel confident that it is counted,” said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter.

He continued, “Allegedly throwing away hundreds of ballots is a serious federal crime that undermines the integrity of our elections. Ballot integrity is not a partisan issue.”

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Several People Who Were Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments Got Big Payouts or Were Given Their Jobs Back

Following Charlie Kirk’s death last year, various individuals were either fired, suspended, or disciplined for celebrating his assassination, but since then, several have been reinstated, and some have been paid huge sums of money.

A Reuters report from November revealed that over 600 people were fired or punished for posting about Kirk’s assassination, which occurred Sept. 10, 2025, at Utah Valley University during a TPUSA event.

They included members of law enforcement agencies, nurses, teachers, professors, journalists, entertainers, military members, and more.

The social media account “Libs of TikTok” led the charge, sharing screenshots of posts that either mocked or disparaged Kirk after he was violently shot in the neck.

The most recognizable person to face any consequences was ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. He was initially taken off the air after falsely telling his audience that Kirk’s assassin was a MAGA conservative. However, he was only hit with a brief suspension and soon returned to action.

Some of the individuals who were punished have pushed back and were granted huge paydays because of it.

In June, National Public Radio reported on Maria Ruhtenberg, who had been fired from her job last September, after one of Ruhtenberg’s friends saw one of her Facebook posts about Kirk’s death and complained to her employer.

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University where Charlie Kirk was assassinated allegedly cancels on memorial planned for anniversary of his murder

The public university which became the location of the Sept. 10, 2025, assassination of Charlie Kirk has reportedly withdrawn from a joint memorial event with the organization the late conservative political activist founded, Turning Point USA.

Utah Valley University (UVU) allegedly backed out of a Sept. 10, 2026, service planned to honor Kirk on the first anniversary of his assassination on its campus, The Cougar Chronicle reported, citing an anonymous source. The source claims Turning Point USA is seeking a new memorial location on short notice and is frustrated with the public university’s reported sudden withdrawal.

“Healing continues in different ways for each member of our university community as we approach September 10, the one-year anniversary of the tragic events surrounding Charlie Kirk’s death,” an Aug. 7 UVU email to students and employees said, The Cougar Chronicle reported. “To provide time and space for reflection, service, and connection, UVU will close operations [September 10].”

The UVU email invited the campus community to an annual Day of Caring volunteer event on Sept. 10, according to an Instagram post by the outlet.

The local nonprofit associated with the event, United Way of Utah County, describes its “corporate day of service” as an opportunity to “transform our classrooms, neighborhood parks, community gardens, and gathering places across our community,” according the organization’s website.

UVU, Turning Point USA, and Republican Utah state Sen. Dan McCay did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment.

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Republican Mayor Celebrates African Refugees As The “New Pioneers”

A Republican mayor in Utah is catching heat for turning the state’s traditional Pioneer Day into a celebration of African refugees, dubbing them the modern-day equivalents of the Mormon settlers who founded the Beehive State.

Provo Mayor Marsha Judkins posted an Instagram message this week praising African migrants who have resettled in Utah’s fourth-largest city.

Judkins said that Utahns mark Pioneer Day to “recognize those who journeyed west in search of religious freedom and the opportunity to build a better future free from persecution.”

Judkins’s message then took a woke turn, writing: “We also recognize members of our refugee community who embody that same pioneer spirit, leaving behind familiar homes to begin new lives in a place they had never seen before.”

“We encourage you to watch and learn from the experiences of refugees who now call Provo home and the enduring contributions they make every day, from strengthening local nonprofits to serving in the United States military,” the mayor’s message added. “Their stories inspire all of us to continue fostering a welcoming community where people of every background and experience can experience the promise of Provo.”

Pioneer Day traditionally honors the Mormon pioneers led by Brigham Young who settled Utah in the 1800s. Judkins’s post ignited a firestorm online as critics accused her of twisting the state’s history to push a progressive immigration message.

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How a Member of a Powerful Utah Family Escaped a Federal Trafficking Investigation and Reinvented Himself as an Instagram Influencer

Former Utah County Attorney David Leavitt has outrun accusations of an illegal adoption and ritualistic child abuse after attorneys within US Homeland Security Investigations shuttered an investigation into his actions.

In an exclusive interview with The Last American Vagabond, a former Homeland Security Investigations analyst reveals how he was targeted by the US government for pursuing an investigation into a powerful Utah politician following a controversial adoption of a Native American baby.

The analyst said that he and his colleague were sidelined after attempting to subpoena the Mormon Church’s internal hotline for reporting sexual abuse as part of their investigation. The federal government would eventually turn its focus to him after he questioned why charges had not been filed, despite an admission of guilt by the suspect.

“They spent $2 million investigating, and they couldn’t even arrest me. They got into my phone, my iCloud, and still couldn’t find anything to arrest me on,” the analyst told The Last American Vagabond (TLAV) over the phone. “This was under Biden… signed off on by Secretary Mayorkas.”

Alejandro Mayorkas served as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security under former US President Joe Biden.

The analyst requested anonymity to speak freely on his role in the investigation. TLAV has independently verified the claims made by him.

Ritualistic Child Sexual Abuse

This saga begins with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office (UCSO) May 31, 2022, announcement that an investigation into “ritualistic child sexual abuse and child sex trafficking” in Utah County had begun in April 2021.

The UCSO statement noted that “multiple county and federal agencies are investigating reports of ritualistic child sexual abuse from as far back as 1990.” The investigation subsequently discovered previous reports alleging “similar forms of ritualistic sexual abuse and trafficking” that occurred in Utah County, Juab County, and Sanpete County during the time between 1990 and 2010.

In September 2022, former therapist David Hamblin was the first suspect to be arrested and charged by the UCSO for multiple first-degree felony sexual offenses against a child. He was booked for three counts of sodomy of a child, one count of rape of a child, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, and one misdemeanor count of lewdness involving a child. His ex-wife, Roselle Stevenson, was later arrested on similar charges.

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How Governor Cox and Sheriff Smith Misled the World on the Tyler Robinson Confession

Tucked away in a January 2026 filing by Tyler Robinson’s defense team regarding a motion to Exclude Still Photographers, TV Cameras and Microphones from the Courtroom is information that raises serious questions about whether the investigators in the case were honest and accurate when speaking about Robinson’s alleged confession.

AbleChild has well-documented serious problems with the State of Utah’s “evidence” least of which is regarding Robinson’s alleged “text message” to fury lover, Lance Twiggs, directly after the shooting on September 10, 2026. In a nutshell, in order for the alleged “text message” to be accurate, Robinson would have to be clairvoyant because he is referencing events that did not occur until the following day. It’s embarrassing and insulting and one must wonder why those brilliant investigators haven’t seized on the impossibility of Robinson being responsible for the alleged “text message.”

Beyond the insulting made-up “text message” there has been great discussion about when and how Robinson (with his parents and family friend) reportedly turned himself into Sheriff Nate Brooksby of Washington County, Utah, and what was said by the alleged shooter and what was said by law enforcement in the way of a “confession.”

For example, the first official to announce that Tyler Robinson had made a statement about his guilt in the shooting of Charlie Kirk, was Utah Governor Spencer Cox. Cox announced to the world on the morning of September 12, 2025 (two days after the assassination) “We got him.” To back up this pronouncement, Cox further explained: “A family member of Tyler Robinson reached out to a family friend who contacted the Washington County Sheriff’s office with information that Robinson had confessed to them or implied that he had committed the incident.”

This is where it gets interesting because AbleChild is unable to locate any document signed by either Tyler’s mother, father or family friend that substantiates this reported “confession.” Hell, AbleChild can’t even find the name of the “friend” who help Tyler turn himself into the Washington County Sheriff.

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Judge Rules New Evidence in Charlie Kirk Assassination to be Made Public Next Month

A judge ruled that new evidence in the Charlie Kirk assassination case will be made public during next month’s hearing.

Judge Tony Graf on Monday ruled that the media is allowed in the courtroom for the July hearing.

Fox News reported:

Judge Tony Graf has denied Tyler Robinson’s efforts to have portions of his upcoming preliminary hearing held behind closed doors and to keep some evidence exhibits hidden from public view.

The preliminary hearing is a routine step where prosecutors will attempt to convince they court they have enough probable cause to bring the case to trial, and they are expected to succeed.

In response to a separate motion to sanction prosecutors for allegedly speaking about the case improperly outside of court, Graf ordered a hearing for both sides to present arguments regarding the defense allegation.

Both sides will have 90 minutes to speak at a June 12 hearing.

That motion stemmed from prosecutors’ attempt to “set the record straight” after an allegedly misleading claim in defense court filings went viral after suggesting ballistics investigators could not match the bullet that killed Charlie Kirk to the suspected murder weapon.

Last month, Judge Tony Graf rejected a request from Tyler Robinson to ban cameras in the courtroom during the duration of the trial.

Robinson fatally shot TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025 during an event at Utah Valley University.

Tyler Robinson allegedly used a Mauser 98 .30-06 rifle to kill Charlie Kirk.

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