SMITHFIELD, Utah — A Smithfield City Council member has resigned following intense public criticism after a confrontational encounter with police officers was captured on body camera footage, KUTV reported.
Now former council member Ted Stokes was scrutinized following a 20-minute exchange with officers on Aug. 3, 2025, after they arrived at his home to follow up on a car crash involving his son. While the crash caused only minor injuries, including a bloody nose, Stokes’ reaction to the police response drew widespread backlash.
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Video shows confrontation
In the video, released by the Smithfield Police Department to Police1, Stokes is heard berating the officers, criticizing their training and threatening to defund the police department.
“I promise you I will do everything in my power as a city council member to make sure these guys are defunded,” Stokes is heard saying in the video. “There will be five police officers in this town because this is unbelievable.”
Stokes also questioned the officers’ professionalism and attempted to instruct them on how to perform their duties, suggesting that there should not have been two officers responding to the incident.
“[Your] lack of training blows my mind…I’m telling you how you’re supposed to do your job because you obviously don’t know,” Stokes can be heard saying.
Apologies and statements issued
After the bodycam footage became public, Smithfield’s mayor and other city council members released a joint statement condemning Stokes’ conduct, KUTV reported.
“His threats and defiant actions were not in line with what we value and believe,” the letter read. “We believe that we, as mayor and council members, are not above the law because of the positions we hold.”
On Sept. 20, Stokes issued a lengthy written apology, acknowledging that he allowed emotion to override professionalism and respect.
“Even if I disagreed with them in any aspect, they deserved my respect and professionalism,” he wrote. “I violated that canon of ethics on August 3rd.”
Stokes also apologized to the officers involved, his fellow council members, and the broader community, stating he brought unwanted attention and hardship to his family.
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The man had entered a privately owned recreation center with a bloodied bandage; he later became combative and approached Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies with a knife
Garner is a retired Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) commander
