BLUFFDALE, Utah, June 30, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — The Utah Attorney General’s Office has charged Jason C. Hall, the husband of Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall, with multiple counts related to assault, harassment, threats, and stalking against one of his wife’s political opponent in 2021.
At the time of the alleged crimes, Bluffdale City councilman Jeff Gaston, the named victim, was running for mayor of Bluffdale against incumbent Natalie Hall. A statement from the Utah Attorney General’s Office says Gaston eventually dropped out of the race because of the threats received.
According to the probable cause statement for Jason Hall, 47, he faces initial charges of:
- Threatening an elected office, assault, a third-degree felony
- Stalking, a class A misdemeanor
- Threats to influence an official or public action, a class A misdemeanor
A statement from the Utah Attorney General’s Office says that “Between March and December of 2021, Hall is charged with threatening Gaston multiple times and in multiple ways: Physically at a Bluffdale City park, also verbal threats in person, through anonymous delivery of gag gifts, demeaning and intimidating messages to his home and workplace, assault, obtaining or disseminating information to family, and co-workers.
“The charges also state Hall threatened Gaston if he didn’t drop out of the race for mayor. Evidence indicates Hall enlisted the help of a man who worked for Hall, who delivered and mailed several items. That associate is currently under investigation.”
A list of harassing acts against Gaston, detailed in Jason Hall’s probable cause statement, alleges that Hall admitted to sending an email to Gaston from a fake account which insulted Gaston’s character and behavior.
The unsigned March 5, 2021 letter said: “should we not see an apology to the mayor AND to the city for your temper tantrum, there will be significant efforts made to replace you when you are up for reelection” and “you should know that the wheels are in motion to render you irrelevant,” the probable cause statement says.
A package left for Gaston at his residence four days later called him an “imbecile,” contained a children’s book on anger management and urged him to “Move out of Bluffdale, apologize or kill yourself,” adding “This is your final warming. We are moving to the next phase. Do what we ask, or we will do what must be done.”
The same day, a box containing gag gifts for each council member was delivered to the Bluffdale city office by a man later determined to be an employee of Hall. Gaston’s box suggested his behavior was like that of a baby, and contained baby items including a baby bottle and formula, the probable cause statement says.
Subsequent communications contained phrases including “You will no longer have the will to live in Bluffdale. It’s time we put you down like the dog you are” and “You’re a joke, and man-child for mayor.”
In August of 2021, the probable cause statement says Jason Hall threw political signs at Gaston, causing bruises and piercing the victim’s skin. The signs were supporting John Roberts, another opponent of Natalie Hall, whom Gaston had chosen to support.
Following the Nov. 23, 2021 election, of Natalie Hall, Gaston received a letter at his residence saying “It’s time you leave Bluffdale or resign. If you don’t you will end up dead.”
On Dec. 15, 2021, the man who worked for Jason Hall, who has not yet been charged, admitted he mailed and delivered pages to Gaston and the Bluffdale City Council “and did so at the instruction of defendant,” the statement says.
The probable cause statement also noted that most of the items delivered to the victim made the same mistake in his address, leaving out West or W., and items sent to Gaston also repeated the use of the work “imbecile.”
Gephardt Daily will have more information as the case develops.
