'It was assault:' Woman 'thrown to ground' at Utah County meeting speaks out
Protesters disrupted a Utah County planning commission meeting while opposing a proposed ordinance regulating data center development. Aspen Azalea was removed by sheriff's deputies, faces misdemeanor charges, and alleges excessive force; the Utah County Sheriff's Office disputes her account. The ordinance passed and will next be considered by the county commission.
Aspen Azalea spoke to FOX 13 News Utah after being removed from a Utah County Planning Commission meeting where protesters opposed an ordinance establishing data center regulations in the county's zoning code. The crowd became disruptive after the ordinance passed without public comment, and deputies removed several people from the meeting. Azalea alleges Deputy Phillip Crawford threw her to the ground, while the Utah County Sheriff's Office says she refused to leave and allegedly assaulted a deputy.
Azalea faces misdemeanor charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and disrupting a meeting, and has called for Crawford to be fired. Utah County Sheriff Mike Smith defended the deputies and said the incident would be addressed through the legal process. County officials said the Utah County Commission is expected to take up the data center issue again next month.