Questions Arise After Deputy Removes Protester From Utah County Data Center Meeting
The sheriff’s office said deputies removed three disruptive attendees after the vote, and one woman was booked on assault and interference charges.
- On Tuesday, Utah County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested protester Aspen Azalea during a Utah County Planning Commission meeting over proposed data center zoning rules; two others were cited.
- Commissioners were voting on land use ordinances to regulate data centers when attendees began shouting "shame!" after the resolution passed, prompting commissioners to request removal of disruptive persons.
- After Azalea refused to leave, deputies attempted to remove her from her chair. The Sheriff's Office alleges she struck a deputy in the groin before both fell to the ground.
- Azalea was booked into the Utah County Jail on charges including assault on a police officer and disrupting a meeting. Provo Fire Department EMTs found no emergent injuries after she complained of jaw pain.
- Following the viral arrest video, activists organized a rally at the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday to demand "Justice for Aspen" and call for stricter oversight of AI-generated content and data center development.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Police Violently Restrain Three People During Utah Data Center Protest
In Utah, sheriff’s deputies violently restrained three people on Tuesday after they protested against data centers at a meeting of the Utah County Planning Commission. Video shows an officer tackling a woman to the hard floor with an audible thud. The activist, Aspen Azalea, told The Salt Lake Tribune that her violent arrest left her with a concussion and bruises to her jaw, shoulder and knee. She’s been charged with disrupting a meeting and assaulting a police officer. She was among scores of
UT Data Center Meeting Arrest
INTRO: A sheriff's deputy removes a protester earlier this week from a Utah County meeting on data centers...and she's claiming he assaulted her. Fox's C-J Papa reports. ACK: Fox's CJ Papa TAG: Aspen Azalea faces misdemeanor charges of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest, and disrupting a meeting.KEYWORD: Human Interest, Crime, Legal, Politics, **
Utah County Sheriff releases statement on disruption, arrests at Planning Commission meeting
PROVO, Utah, Oct. 21, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah County Sheriff’s Office has release a statement on a disturbance Tuesday night at the Utah County Planning Commission after a video of deputies forcing two protesters to the floor went viral. The video, posted by utvstechbillionaires and others, captures a cracking impact sound as one […] The post Utah County Sheriff releases statement on disruption, arrests at Planning Commission meeting fi…
A woman was arrested while protesting data centers at a Utah County meeting. Here’s how it unfolded.
A woman was removed from a Utah County Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday night, and thrown on the lobby floor by sheriff's deputies. The exchange was captured on video.
Woman arrested after ‘a disturbance’ at Utah County Planning Commission meeting, sheriff’s office says
A woman was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail following “a disturbance” at a Utah County Planning Commission meeting Tuesday in Provo, according to authorities. A video circulating on social media shows a woman yelling at deputies while she is being escorted out of the commission chamber by a deputy. In the lobby, […]
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