Utah Farm Bureau President Arrested for Assaulting Latino Farm Worker Following Concerns Over Late Payments

A harrowing video shows Utah farmer and Farm Bureau Federation president, Ron Bennett Gibson, allegedly assaulting one of his workers. Now, that video has led to his arrest and a deeper investigation into other possible unlawful practices.

As shown in a video released by KSL, Gibson’s employees confronted him for not paying them. According to them, he owed them a total of four paychecks. You can see in the clip how one farmworker tells Gibson, “I have to pay rent, have to pay the bills, my family has to eat, I also have to eat.”

The video shows how several workers stand next to each other, supporting their cause. However, Gibson soon grows angry. The farm owner replies to the worker, “You run your mouth, you just speak because you’re speaking like you’re dumb.”

Gibson then tells the workers how this year is one of “the most difficult” years ever for them, seemingly trying to justify their unpaid labor. Later, a farmworker off-camera can be heard asking, “Why?” and as you can see, Gibson seems to smack him across the face.

The farm owner yells, “I’m the one talking.”

As per Telemundo, the worker called the police after the reported assault, which led to Gibson’s arrest. Now, authorities are conducting a thorough investigation on him, including human trafficking allegations.

According to a worker, 14 of them “lived with the smell” of human waste from a faulty septic tank

As per The Salt Lake Tribune, Weber County police received an assault report from one worker on the farm. The worker identified Gibson as the person who hit him.

That employee also told authorities that neither he nor his coworkers had received their last four paychecks. Even more, the assaulted worker said the incident made him bleed from his mouth, leading him to seek medical help.

Last, Gibson was charged with one count of assault and arrested. While police released him on bail, they are now investigating his practices.

According to KSL, 14 workers lived in the same home on the farm’s property, sharing one bathroom. The employees explained they “lived with the smell of feces and urine” from an overfull septic tank. They said they “didn’t have money to eat.”

Journalist Mike Anderson explained on his TikTok page that he spoke to the worker who was assaulted about the “deplorable” living conditions.

Anderson said the farmworker told him, “They’re concerned because they’re just not getting enough money to eat, to live, and they’re also there to work, and to hopefully send money back to family in Mexico.”

Now, authorities are investigating Gibson for human trafficking allegations

According to a statement by the Weber County Sheriff’s Office, authorities are now investigating Gibson in connection to two other allegations.

“The investigation has also brought to light allegations of fraud and human trafficking,” they wrote. “Which are currently being thoroughly investigated by the Department of Public Safety’s Special Bureau of Investigation.”

Meanwhile, the Utah Farm Bureau and Gibson have also released a statement of their own.

According to ABC4, the organization said, “Utah Farm Bureau Federation President Ron Gibson announced today that he has taken a leave of absence from his position.”

“Utah Farm Bureau recognizes and respects the many contributions farmworkers make in American agriculture — both local workers and those coming in from other nations,” they wrote. “And deeply regrets how this situation may impact the role these valuable people play in our food system.

Moreover, they also included Gibson’s personal statement: “I deeply regret the incident and apologize for allowing an argument to escalate to an altercation on my farm. I’m disappointed in myself.”

“I have deep respect for the men and women willing to work on farms across America, including mine,” he added. “I simply could not manage the farm without their help, and we wouldn’t have the abundance we do in this country without them.”

He is now taking a “leave of absence” from his position in the organization.