Sean P. MeansTwo days after Box Elder County commissioners angered a room full of protesters and voted to push ahead with plans for a massive data center campus, the sheriff’s office has increased security around the commissioners’ homes.
The county “received notice of organized demonstrations” being planned at the commissioners’ residences, the Box Elder County Attorney’s Office said Wednesday in a statement. Because of that, “law enforcement has increased patrols in these areas to ensure that all activities remain lawful and peaceful.”
In the statement, the county attorney’s office cited a passage of Utah Code that prohibits “targeted residential picketing.”
The Utah Legislature first passed that law in 2021, after protests over COVID-19 restrictions were held at the homes of Gov. Spencer Cox and then-state epidemiologist Dr. Angela Dunn, and updated it in 2025. Violation of that law is a class B misdemeanor, subject to up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
The county attorney’s office emphasized in its statement that the county “fully supports the First Amendment rights of citizens to peaceably assemble and express their views.” However, the county added, “we remain committed to protecting the safety and privacy of all residents within our communities.”
The Box Elder County Commission’s meeting Monday drew hundreds of people protesting the proposed data center campus that’s backed by celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary. The protesters shouted repeatedly at the commissioners in the public meeting, then yelled “shame!” and “cowards” when commissioners moved into a quiet room and continued the meeting virtually.
The commissioners then voted to approve an agreement to allow the county to work with the Military Installation Development Agency, or MIDA, which is developing the data center campus on 40,000 acres in a remote part of Box Elder County.
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Sean P. Means has been reporting and editing for The Salt Lake Tribune since 1991 — including 25 years as movie critic. Since 2018, he has reported on arts and culture reporter, and breaking news — and was part of The Tribune’s COVID-19 reporting team. He reviews movies for MovieCricket.net and X96’s “Radio From Hell” program.