Four Utah Residents Sue American Fork Police Over Reckless Ben Investigation

The 19-count complaint, filed by Radner Law Group and Spencer Fane LLP, details a series of encounters in March 2026 involving Sheldon Norcross, Tyler Shaw, Sierra Lauts, and Steven Allen. The group was in Utah to document a civil dispute over a $200,000 Lego Star Wars collection and to serve legal documents. According to the filing, the department's conduct included a traffic stop for a violation that Police Chief Paul later conceded likely never occurred, and a two-hour detention where an officer was recorded admitting he intended to "scare" the driver.

The situation escalated on March 11 when officers executed a search warrant at the plaintiffs' Airbnb. Chief Paul has since admitted that the affidavit supporting that warrant was not reviewed by a supervisor as required by policy, calling it one of the department's major failures. During the operation, officers held all occupants, including a minor, at gunpoint before releasing them without charges. Lead counsel Solomon M. Radner stated the litigation aims to hold the department accountable for what he describes as a clear pattern of constitutional violations, emphasizing that the plaintiffs were performing lawful tasks when they were repeatedly targeted.