Nine charged with violating public health laws in large Halloween party near Utah Lake

Nine people who police say promoted a Halloween party on the west side of Utah Lake that drew thousands, most of whom ignored COVID-19 safety guidelines, have been charged with disobeying public health laws.

PROVO — The promoters of a Halloween party held on the west side of Utah Lake that drew thousands of people — the majority of them ignoring COVID-19 safety guidelines by not wearing masks or social distancing — now face criminal charges.

Nine people were charged Friday in Utah County Justice Court with disobeying public health laws, a class B misdemeanor: Erik Scott Little, 27, of Sandy; James McReynolds, 23, of Lindon; Samuel Mark Nii, 22, of Orem; Daniel Edward Mortensen, 22, of Eden; Sadie Brooke Salisbury, 25, of Draper; Braden Abel Estrada, 26, of Sandy; Talifolaukovi Roger Foliaki, 28, of Pleasant Grove; Andrew Ivie, 23, of Midway; and Tanner Valerio, 26, of Bluffdale.

Little and Valerio are the co-founders of The Tribe Utah, the group that police say organized the mostly maskless gathering on Oct. 31 that drew an estimated 3,000 to 10,000 people. The party included a stage, a professional sound system and lights, and DJs.

For a month, the groups Utah Tonight and The Tribe Utah had advertised an event called “The Protest on Halloween,” with the location of the event being announced on Halloween. As part or the promotion for the “full concert production,” organizers posted on their flyers that “gatherings are essential for public health” and noted that by attending, “you assume all risks associated with COVID-19.”

But on Oct. 26, after their event had gained public attention, the groups announced that the party had been canceled and refunds would be given. In announcing the cancellation, Utah Tonight blamed those “in positions of power and authority, including the media, (who) have done nothing but intimidate, harass and seek to build consensus to shut this event down.”

But on Oct. 31, the event happened anyway.

The promoters while telling ticket holders that the event had been canceled, also stated “Keep this on the dl, but a massive free underground party might still pull through. If it does, we will send you the info asap but we won’t post about it anywhere, we can’t let the haters win. We just can’t,” according to charging documents.

On Oct. 30, promoters sent out GPS coordinates “for the massive free underground party that was being held at a location near Utah Lake called ‘The Knolls,’” the charges state.

The Utah County Sheriff’s Office found out about the party when an ambulance had to be called to the scene for a woman who had fallen while crowd-surfing, according to police.

“A review of social media posts shows that there were thousands of people in attendance, who were not wearing masks, and who were not physically distancing. A stage had been set up, with sound systems, canopies, projector screen, lighting, lasers and DJ equipment,” the charging documents state.

The others charged were found to be working on the stage equipment and also helped organize the event, according to the court documents. Investigators say Estrada was one of the DJs that evening.

In November, similar charges were filed against the organizers of a second large Halloween party held in Lehi.

The Utah County Attorney’s Office is holding a press conference today to discuss the Utah Lake party charges. This story will be updated.

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2YWxdBh