Latest news with #LagoonAmusementPark
Yahoo
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Heber City Council candidate previously arrested for trespassing at Lagoon now facing child abuse charge
Charges are allegations only. All arrested persons are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. HEBER CITY, Utah () — The woman accused of trespassing in Lagoon earlier this year is now facing charges of stalking and child abuse, all while running for a Heber City Council seat. Jami Smith Hewlett, 49, is facing one charge of criminal trespassing, filed on May 18, 2025; one charge of stalking, filed on June 23, 2025; and one misdemeanor charge of intentional or knowing child abuse, filed on July 29, 2025. 'I strongly deny any criminal wrongdoing. I am fully cooperating with the legal process and look forward to the opportunity to resolve this matter through the appropriate channels,' Jami Hewlett said in a statement to ABC4. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Woman faces trespassing charge for violating year-long 'ban' from Lagoon Amusement Park Jami Hewlett is currently , campaigning to 'tackle rising costs and protect our water,' according to her website. Jami Hewlett previously ran for Wasatch County Council in 2023 and Heber City Council in 2024. Her husband, Mike Hewlett, is currently a candidate for Heber City Mayor. Additionally, Jami Hewlett served as an alternate on the Heber City Planning Commission in 2024 but was removed from the position by in November 2024 due to contention over a letter she allegedly wrote and distributed in someone else's name. Previously, in May, ABC4 had covered Jami Hewlett for a viral TikTok where she was for violating a year-long 'ban' from the park. The video she recorded showed a Lagoon security officer and a Farmington Police Officer telling her to leave the park and explaining the terms of her ban. According to court documents and a comment from Jami Hewlett under the video, an argument broke out between her and the mother of one of her stepchildren. She was yelling while they exited the park, and police stepped in. Jami Hewlett was issued a ban for violating guest code. After re-entering the park to watch a dance competition, she was told to leave by security and a police officer. Jami Hewlett was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing in Davis County for violating this ban. Documents say that she had changed clothes and re-entered the park again, then returned the following day despite the ban. Officers located evidence of her entering the park from her social media posts. READ NEXT: SLC couple charged with child abuse after pediatrician reports injuries, failure to thrive According to court documents, Jami Hewlett was charged with stalking on June 23 due to her presence on social media as well. She allegedly violated a civil court stalking injunction filed on June 19 by posting videos of and mentioning the stepchild protected by the injunction on social media. A warrant was filed for her arrest after she refused to exit the house and make contact with officers, according to an affidavit for the warrant. Jami Hewlett was arrested on bail and was released after it was paid. Jami Hewlett's husband, Michael (Mike) Hewlett, was charged with retaliation against a witness, victim, or informant on June 24. An incident report involving alleged child abuse was used as probable cause for his charge. The report stated that Mike Hewlett had allegedly contacted the child victim and told them they were 'ruining lives' after being interviewed regarding the child abuse. Yesterday, on July 29, Jami Hewlett was charged with child abuse, intentionally or knowingly. According to court documents, including the aforementioned incident report, the stepchild victim described instances of physical and verbal abuse allegedly committed by Jami Hewlett over several years, including one incident where the child had to be taken to the emergency room. I am aware of the charge that has been filed. I want to be clear that I strongly deny any criminal wrongdoing. I am fully cooperating with the legal process and look forward to the opportunity to resolve this matter through the appropriate channels. Out of respect for everyone involved and because of the sensitivity of the situation, I will not be commenting further at this time. Statement from Jami Hewlett regarding recent charges Latest headlines: 25 people injured due to turbulence on Delta flight released from hospital, what happens now? Harmful algae blooms warning for Jordan River, Utah Lake FIRE START: Little Pole Fire starts in Box Elder County, reaches 100 acres Lt. Gov. Henderson grants DOJ public voter info after letter questions maintenance of voter registration rolls Governor Cox declares state of emergency for escalating wildfires, suppression costs surpass $100M Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The old dude on the rad ride
Due to such things as motion sickness, dizziness, fear of heights, lack of energy, fear of fainting, weak stomach, bad knees, bad back, just ate lunch and various other age-induced ailments/excuses, extreme roller coaster riding trends toward people who say 'like' and 'bro' and 'dude' a lot. Then there's Haroutioun Arslanian. Just this summer, he's ridden the Cannibal roller coaster — Lagoon Amusement Park's marquee thrill ride with its 140-foot drop, speeds up to 70 mph, three inverted loops and 4.2 G-forces comparable to a NASCAR driver in a banked turn — well over 100 times. He's 89. Haroutioun (it's pronounced Hah-roo-chewn) is the guy who gets off Cannibal and races the 14-year olds back to the start to go again. One day he did that 14 times, his personal record. Ask him why he does it — like I did recently at his son-in-law Dave Nash's auto dealership in North Salt Lake — and first he gives you a look that says 'isn't it obvious?' before answering: 'Because it's fun.' Then he adds, 'It makes you feel young.' Haroutioun didn't grow up riding roller coasters. An Armenian by ethnicity, he was born and raised in Beirut, Lebanon. He remembers the Nazis during World War II dropping bombs on a French colony not far from the Catholic school he attended and the apartment building where his family lived on the sixth floor. He was a soccer player, a cyclist, a ballroom dancer and played the harmonica — and a trained machinist. In 1967 he, his wife, Manoushag, and their two sons emigrated to America, following Manoushag's parents who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Utah. Haroutioun's life, not unlike a roller coaster, has been one of perpetual motion. He worked as a machinist until he was 61 and Manoushag, who everyone called Violet, was diagnosed with MLS. He retired and cared for her until her death, then remarried and served an 18-month Latter-Day Saint senior mission in the Philippines. Since his second wife passed he has continued to work two days a week at his son-in-law's car dealership and one day a week as a worker at the Jordan River Latter-day Saint temple (something he's done for 25 years). He also goes to the gym every day, except Sunday, without fail (he still curls 30-pound dumbbells), and watches Hallmark movies on television in the evenings (he calls them 'Cinderella movies.') No one has ever called this man lackadaisical. It was Haroutioun's daughter Liza, who was born in America, who turned her dad into a Cannibal legend, albeit inadvertently. Her initial objective was to get him to buy a season pass to Lagoon because everyone in the family was buying one this year, including several grandkids who had just moved back. At first he declined. 'I've been to Lagoon, it's not that big of a deal,' he told her. This assessment was based on family trips years ago. 'We used to go a lot, but my dad was always married,' explains Lisa. 'First there was my mom, and she didn't like to ride any of those rides. And then my mom passed away and he married again, and she didn't like to ride any of those rides either. So if he came to Lagoon with us, he would just hang out with them and do like the train or whatever.' No one, least of all Haroutioun, realized the latent roller coaster champion hidden within. It was the senior rate that swung the deal. 'We were looking at the season pass prices and realized there's a senior discount,' says Liza, 'It's like $57 for a season pass.' 'Seriously, $57?' said Haroutioun, 'I'm in.' When her dad mentioned he'd like to try the roller coasters, Liza responded, 'I don't know, Dad. I don't know if you're going to like it.' She was right. He didn't like it. He loved it. As the summer months have passed, the old dude on the rad ride has become something of a local sensation. More often than not, teenagers will give him fist bumps as he makes his loops. Occasionally, he'll get asked what keeps him so energetic, healthy and young. What's his secret? 'First, be happy,' he says. 'Don't worry about money. Money comes and goes. Just be happy and stay healthy and eat the right thing and don't you ever smoke or drink. If somebody says one drink, one cigarette is OK, no, it's not OK. One cigarette, one nail for your coffin.' His son-in-law Dave — it was Dave who sent the Deseret News an email about Haroutioun titled 'My amazing father in law' — might add one more quality to the formula. 'He doesn't stand still. He's definitely not afraid to try new things,' he wrote. 'The roller coaster is just one of those new things.' Solve the daily Crossword
