Utah
Jury acquits Utah man on same day his mom is accused of obstructing his trial
MANTI — A Utah jury recently found a Colorado man not guilty of assaulting a woman following a lengthy court process.
But now, the man’s mother is in trouble for allegedly interfering with her son’s trial.
That scenario played out earlier this month in Sanpete County’s 6th District Court. A 25-year-old man was on trial on charges of object rape, a first-degree felony; forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and lewdness, a class B misdemeanor, and was accused of abusing a woman in 2021.
On March 10, Junstina Faapouli, 49, of Colorado Springs, was overheard talking to two people who were scheduled to testify on behalf of the defense that day, according to court documents.
“I spoke with both individuals who stated that Junstina had told them specific details about the victim’s testimony and that the victim’s testimony was false and inaccurate. I asked both individuals if Mrs. Faapouli knew they were there to testify, and they confirmed that she did,” the arresting officer wrote in a police booking affidavit.
In courtrooms across the nation, the exclusionary rule is commonly used. In a typical scenario, those who are expected to testify at a trial are generally not allowed to be in the courtroom while other witnesses are testifying. This is to prevent one person’s testimony from potentially being influenced by another witness’ testimony.
When prosecutors in Sanpete County found out about the alleged violation involving Faapouli, they called for a violation of the exclusionary rule and Faapouli was removed from the courtroom.
“Because Mr. Faapouli disclosed details of the victim’s testimony to the two individuals, they were not allowed to testify in the case,” the affidavit states.
Although the defense’s two witnesses were not allowed to take the stand, jurors found the defendant not guilty. Faapouli, however, was arrested and charged on March 10 with two counts of obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony.
Her next court hearing is scheduled for March 23.
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
The Utah Jazz won their final summer league game against the Portland Trail Blazers 83-79. It was a fun game that came down to the wire, with a few Jazz players showing promise that could help the team.
The player who surprisingly didn’t help as much as you’d hope was Blake Hinson, who shot just 1/9 from three. Hinson was a sharpshooter for the Jazz last season, and it’s too bad that he couldn’t show that shooting stroke in the summer league. It’s likely not a big deal, but it would have been nice to see that shooting continue in the summer league. It does make you wonder why all the players who played for Utah last season, or will be getting regular minutes next year, didn’t shoot well in Las Vegas. Is that a trend? Or is it just a coincidence? It makes you wonder if the Jazz have been running hard practices, or if the players are tired from enjoying their time in Las Vegas? There’s no way to really know, but it’s interesting.
Utah’s strongest performer, in terms of plus-minus, was Bez Mbeng. He was a team-leading +14 and, even though he didn’t shoot the ball well either, his defense and intensity really shows on the floor. In this one, Mbeng had 4 steals and handled the ball for a lot of the game. He was also one of the top players in minutes with 20 in this one. I personally really like Mbeng and I’m rooting for him to make the team. I do think he can be a defensive-focused do-it-all player who could really contribute if he keeps improving.
Justin Harmon scored the ball well, leading the team in scoring with a team-leading 21 points. He had 6 free throws in this one and was a positive contributor overall. Harmon could be a nice addition to the training camp roster and, if he can show out, maybe he can earn himself a roster spot. He’s worth watching going forward at the very least.
And with that, the summer league is now over, and we now enter a long summer that will lead into one of the most exciting eras of Jazz basketball I can remember. It will be led by the best prospect in Jazz history to actually suit up for the Utah Jazz, and I can’t wait to see him develop into a superstar wearing the purple and blue.
Jon Anderson will be charged with moving the Orem school forward following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on campus last year.
(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Incoming UVU President Jon Anderson poses for a photo with his family after an event announcing his selection at Utah Valley University in Orem on Friday, July 17, 2026.
BEAVER COUNTY, Utah — A massive community effort is underway as volunteers and Beaver County crews distribute thousands of sandbags to protect homes from the potential path of floodwaters.
After the Cottonwood Fires, residents have been waiting for weeks for relief to come in the form of rain, though officials now warn it may come all at once with an increased risk of flooding and debris flow.
Emergency Service Director Les Whitney believes that the fire has left plenty of debris to bring trouble for residents.
“We got a lot of water. We’re bringing debris with it, so tree branches, tree limbs, logs, lots of different size firewood, and that’s all in the creeks. We’re worried about that plugging up our bridges and stuff, so we have heavy equipment and excavators located in strategic places so that we can keep those bridges open,” said Whitney.
An estimated 140 homes and condominiums were spared from the flames, but remain in the paths of floodwaters.
Residents can also pick up sandbags at the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office or at the Beaver County Rodeo Fairgrounds.
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