This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When Price Mayor Joe Piccolo stormed into the cosmetology building at the Utah State University Eastern campus in Price and began berating instructors over a grade his daughter received on a project, witnesses called campus police.
Piccolo was cited for disorderly conduct.
That was more than five weeks ago, and the alleged victims became so concerned prosecutors were not taking the case seriously that they asked Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes to take over the case and the justice-court judge in Price to reject the deal offered by the Carbon County attorney's office.
According to several written accounts from cosmetology faculty and students who were finishing up their classwork Dec. 3, Piccolo and his daughter came into the department and walked into the office of the instructor who had issued the disputed grade.
After a few minutes, according to written accounts from witnesses, Piccolo began screaming at the woman and pounding his fist on the desk. The shouting could be heard outside of the office. One teacher was so traumatized she hid in a closet, according to the accounts.
When campus police Officer Lynn Archuleta arrived, one account said, Piccolo turned his ire toward the officer, saying: "Do you know who I am?"
Archuleta issued the disorderly-conduct citation, which was referred to the county attorney's office.
Deputy Carbon County Attorney John Schindler, who is in charge of justice-court cases, met with the alleged victims Dec. 23 and suggested filing an infraction, the least-serious criminal charge available and offering a plea-in-abeyance agreement, in which the charge would be dismissed if Piccolo stayed out of trouble for a year.
The instructors were not satisfied and sent letters to the attorney general and the judge. A.G. spokeswoman Missy Larsen confirmed that the letter was received and is being evaluated.
Nothing had been filed with the justice court from the county attorney's office when the instructors wrote to the attorney general and the judge on Jan. 2.
Schindler did not return my telephone calls, but according to a court clerk, an infraction charge against the mayor was filed Jan. 7 — after I began calling Schindler's office for this column.
Justice Court Judge Jon Carpenter has recused himself from the case, so no action has been taken while it is being reassigned.
For his part, Piccolo acknowledges losing his temper and is embarrassed by it. But he said the allegations have been exaggerated. He denies pounding his fist on the desk or threatening anyone. He said his anger arose from weeks of frustration over unfair treatment he felt was coming from the faculty.
Piccolo said he immediately contacted school officials after the incident to apologize. He went back to the cosmetology department to apologize to the individuals involved. He also told City Council members what had happened.
The mayor left messages offering to meet with the officer who cited him, but he heard nothing back. He said a university official who witnessed part of the exchange was ready to support the mayor's account, but that person never was interviewed.
Meanwhile, part of the agreement from the county attorney would bar Piccolo from visiting the cosmetology building for a year.
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Oohs (cough) and awes (cough) • Last Thursday, amid one of the worst inversions of the winter and itself a "red alert" day, in air-quality parlance, Riverton, expressing its freedom, liberty and local government sovereignty, celebrated its 150th anniversary with a fireworks display at Riverton High.
Yep. Ain't going to let those liberal environmentalists tell them what to do.
After the bombs were finished bursting in air, the lights of the football field were turned back on and spectators were shocked to see an ominous heavy smoke hovering throughout the stadium.
There was enough coughing and sneezing for everyone to have gotten the message.
When folks complained, city officials assured them there would not be another 150th anniversary celebration.
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Comics relief — not • I have written about Salt Lake Tribune subscribers having their newspaper delivery interrupted, having a devil of a time getting it resumed and even getting an unwanted Deseret News instead.
Now, Helper resident Frank Saccomanno tells me he lately is getting the Deseret News' comics in his Tribune. That means no Doonesbury.
The blasphemy of it all.