Woman thrown to ground, arrested at Utah County data center meeting
A protester was arrested and thrown to the ground by a Utah County sheriff’s deputy during a planning commission meeting about an ordinance governing where data centers could be built. The commission unanimously approved recommending the ordinance, which will next go to the Utah County Commission, while opponents criticized the lack of public comment and the deputy’s use of force.
A Utah County Planning Commission meeting on a proposed land-use ordinance for data centers ended with three people removed and one protester arrested after disrupting the proceeding. Video showed a sheriff’s deputy throwing the woman to the lobby floor; deputies said emergency medical personnel found no immediate injuries, while the protester later reported going to an emergency room with a concussion.
The commission unanimously approved recommending an ordinance that would allow data centers in mining, grazing and industrial zones. Commissioners said public comment had been available at an earlier meeting, though opponents objected to the decision to proceed without hearing comments that night. Most speakers later opposed new data center development in Utah County and criticized law enforcement’s treatment of the protester. The recommendation will be considered by the Utah County Commission, but no hearing date had been scheduled.