Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Jason Hall, husband of Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall, entered a no contest plea on Monday to a class B misdemeanor.
- Charges accuse him of threatening his wife's campaign opponent, Councilman Jeffrey Gaston.
- He was ordered to pay a $690 fee, have no contact with Gaston, and obey the law to have the case dismissed in a year.
SALT LAKE CITY — The husband of Bluffdale Mayor Natalie Hall entered into a plea deal on Monday over criminal charges accusing him of threatening his wife's campaign opponent.
Jason Christopher Hall, 50, pleaded no contest to criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor, under a plea in abeyance — meaning if he follows all of the conditions of the plea, the case will be dismissed after one year.
During that year, Jason Hall is ordered to pay a $690 fee, participate in court probation, not violate any laws, and not have any contact with former Bluffdale City Councilman Jeffrey Gaston, the victim in the case, except as part of official business in the civil case they are both involved in.
The criminal mischief charge is based on allegations that on Aug. 14, 2021, Hall threw campaign yard signs at Gaston, recklessly endangering the safety of people in the area, according to a plea statement signed by Hall.
In exchange for Hall's plea to that charge, the state dismissed charges of threatening an elected official, a third-degree felony; plus stalking and making threats to influence public action, class A misdemeanors.
Beginning in March 2021, Jason Hall sent mocking emails to Gaston anonymously, then later hired an employee to deliver threatening letters and packages on his behalf, charging documents state. This included a threatening note telling Gaston to leave Bluffdale and a box of "gag gifts" sent to the city offices with instructions on how to use the gifts to deal with Gaston during a meeting.
Gaston, who at the time was running against Natalie Hall for mayor, eventually dropped out of the race "due directly to the threats sent to him and his family," court documents state, adding that Gaston was was "significantly ahead in the polls" when he started receiving the threats.
Gaston continued receiving threatening emails and packages through November 2021, just before the man who was sending and delivering packages was identified as a co-worker of Jason Hall, according to the charges. One letter mailed to Gaston's house after the election ended with, "Unfortunately, you have shown that you will not change until something is done. It's time you leave Bluffdale or resign. If you don't, you will end up dead."
Gaston also filed a civil lawsuit against the Halls in 2023.
"With the state's case now behind them, the Halls will respond to the allegations in Mr. Gaston's civil lawsuit in due course. The Halls contend the lawsuit is politically motivated and that Mr. Gaston's claims are meritless," the Halls' legal team said in a prepared statement issued Monday. "Early in the state's case, Mr. Gaston was invited — through his attorney — to take a polygraph test, which his attorney declined. In contrast, Mr. Hall voluntarily took the test, the results of which corroborate that he had no involvement in any threats or alleged assault against Mr. Gaston."
