Park City Councilor Molly Miller said on Monday she informed the Utah Attorney General’s Office she wants a criminal investigation into a physical confrontation that occurred in early June during an event hosted by the municipal government.
Miller said she spoke to the office late last week about the incident, which she described as a “forceful smack on (her) arm.” According to the city councilor, she contacted Police Chief Wade Carpenter the night of the confrontation for advice on how to proceed. The Police Department determined there was surveillance footage, which was forwarded to the attorney general.
The confrontation occurred on June 2 at a gathering at the Park City Library designed to showcase the municipal government’s wide-ranging work plan.
Miller has said she was at station that provided information about a development concept on Bonanza Park land owned by the municipal government. The concept, which has become divisive, involves a large bloc of workforce or otherwise income restricted housing off the intersection of Bonanza Drive and Kearns Boulevard. A man approached Miller from behind and pulled her back by the shoulder in an effort to interrupt a conversation before the smack, she said at the time.
Miller knows the person’s identity and has said the man has been involved in the public process regarding the acreage.
The Police Department referred the case to the attorney general to avoid the potential of a conflict of interest with a member of the City Council involved. The Utah Attorney General’s Office on Monday said it neither confirms nor denies the existence of investigations.
Miller said the man either felt entitled to make physical contact or he lost control before the contact. She called the confrontation “unacceptable” as she described the interest in pursuing an investigation.
“I think it’s so important this doesn’t continue to happen,” she said.