# Utah protester denies assaulting deputy after being thrown to ground at data centre meeting

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/utah-woman-hurled-to-the-ground-after-protesting-data-center-at-public-meeting-denies-kicking-deputy-in-the-groin-and-says-she-feared-for-her-teeth-during-tussle/
- Published: 2026-10-22T21:42:36+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-22T21:53:18+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16230019/utah-county-commission-meeting-deputy-woman-protester-thrown-ground.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- A protester says a deputy threw her to the ground at a Utah meeting.
- She denies the sheriff’s office claim that she kicked the deputy.
- She faces three misdemeanour charges as calls for an investigation grow.

## Summary

A Utah County Commission meeting in Provo became confrontational after officials voted to advance a data centre zoning ordinance without public comment. Protester Aspen Azalea says a sheriff’s deputy threw her to the ground as she was being escorted out; the sheriff’s office alleges she struck him, which she denies. The incident has drawn attention to the handling of public protest and the proposed data centre rules.

Video shows Deputy Phillip Crawford taking Azalea to the ground while bystanders shout, and she says her jaw and chin were hurt. She faces misdemeanor charges of assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and disrupting a meeting, while calling for Crawford to be fired and investigated. A petition seeking an investigation into alleged excessive force had gathered more than 430 signatures by Thursday afternoon, and supporters called for the charges to be dropped at the state capitol.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.