A Coalville resident is accusing the city’s former attorney and his wife of stalking after the couple allegedly harassed him for displaying a sign supporting a mayoral candidate’s election campaign on private property.
Troy Gonzalez, a local contractor who specializes in granite countertops, said he befriended Coalville City Councilor Lynn Wood’s husband around 10 years ago when they worked together on a construction project. Gonzalez’s home later flooded, and Wood offered to let his family use her rental property on Coalville’s Main Street for two months while they were displaced.
Gonzalez recalled what a relief it was for his family. Wood would then hire Gonzalez for a contracting job, which is how he developed a friendship with her.
Wood, who was elected to the City Council in 2023, launched her campaign for the city’s mayoral seat earlier this year, and Gonzalez agreed to install a sign supporting her political bid on his property.
“It’s not like I was voting for her because she was a Republican or a Democrat,” he said. The Coalville mayoral and City Council elections are nonpartisan.
Less than a week later, Gonzalez said he received four unwanted visits in less than 24 hours from his neighbors, Sheldon and Denise Smith. The Smiths allegedly harassed and physically assaulted Gonzalez for refusing to put up a similar sign supporting Wood’s opponent, Rory Swensen.
Sheldon retired from his position as the city attorney of Coalville in June, a job he’d held for more than 20 years. The city is actively searching for his replacement. He did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The long-rumored tension between Wood and Sheldon came to a head earlier this year when Wood and fellow Coalville City Councilor Louise Willoughby proposed an ordinance changing the city attorney position’s appointment from a mayoral responsibility to a decision made by the City Council.
Residents immediately pushed back against the proposal, citing concerns about the perceived power struggle and the separation of duties between the legislative and executive branches of the municipality. The move was also seen as a way to oust the city attorney from his position because of personal conflicts between Sheldon and a few city councilors.
After a few heated council meetings, Wood and Willoughby eventually modified the ordinance to leave appointment power with the mayor while still giving the City Council an opportunity to provide input.
Gonzalez submitted dozens of photos and video recordings of his interactions with the Smiths to The Park Record in addition to agreeing to an interview detailing the timeline of events and subsequent legal action, including criminal charges.
The alleged incident
On Friday, Sept. 19, Gonzalez said he and an employee were finishing work on a garage attachment at his home, which Gonzalez plans to use as a future business space. Surveillance footage then shows Denise driving past the property and backing up, presumably once she notices the campaign sign in support of Wood.
Denise asked Gonzalez if he would mind putting up a sign for Swensen’s campaign, too. Gonzalez said he declined, and that Denise then questioned him about whether he liked Wood. According to Gonzalez, Denise said she had a “real problem with her,” emphasizing her point with an expletive while punching her hand.
“She drives off, and I’m like, ‘OK, that was really odd,’” Gonzalez said in an interview. “I’m chatting with my wife about it, and all of a sudden I hear Sheldon pull up with his bike, and I’m just like, ‘OK, this is not good. This guy’s powerful.’”
Gonzalez said he had been “leery” and “intimidated” by Sheldon for years because of his reputation in the community as a well-known attorney. Despite that, though, Gonzalez said he and the Smiths were friendly before the incident, and he would often wave to the couple if he saw them around the neighborhood.
The Sept. 19 conversation with Sheldon is documented in a quick two-minute video, in which Gonzalez shakes his neighbor’s hand before Sheldon asks if he would be “willing to take a sign from (Wood’s) competitor.”
Gonzalez then tells Sheldon he’d already spoken to Denise and was under the impression that she “didn’t really care” for Wood. Sheldon replies by saying he hates Wood, calling her expletives and claiming she’s “dishonest” and “unprofessional.”
“If we get her back in there, the people of Coalville deserve what they get,” Sheldon says to Gonzalez before asking him to reconsider displaying Swensen’s sign.
Gonzalez refuses again, and Sheldon leaves on his motorcycle.
About 20 minutes later, Sheldon returned. Gonzalez recorded the interaction, which shows Coalville’s former city attorney apologizing for his earlier behavior. Sheldon then claimed Wood has done “more damage” to him and his family than “anybody in this community.”
“Well, you have me a little shaky because that’s not cool, man. Like, I’m just trying to run my business and work for people,” Gonzalez responds, recalling that Sheldon was “staring (him) down”.
Sheldon then asks if Gonzalez can forgive him before saying he thought Wood had put the sign on the property specifically so he would see it when he drove through the neighborhood. Gonzalez pointed out other pro-Wood signs around Coalville after a bit of back and forth, and Sheldon apologizes again.
Gonzalez appears obviously confused by the interaction in the video, and hesitantly accepts Sheldon’s apology to end the conversation.
The next morning, the Smiths returned to Gonzalez’s property.
In one of the recordings, Sheldon is heard claiming that Gonzalez illegally placed equipment and construction materials on city property. Gonzalez tells Sheldon he’s already talked to the city about it, but Sheldon accuses him of lying.
Gonzalez then lost his temper.
In between curses, he yells at the Smiths that he’s documented their recent behavior over the past 24 hours and demands they leave his property. He approaches the couple, and Denise is briefly seen behind Sheldon before she fully enters the frame.
In another video taken by Gonzalez’s wife from the window of their house, Denise then approaches Gonzalez and appears to slap him.
Gonzalez tells the Smiths that Denise’s actions could be considered assault and says that he’s still recording. Sheldon then appears to mock Gonzalez as Denise cheers. She later calls Gonzalez a “wuss” while Sheldon physically restrains her from getting closer.
Sheldon also starts insulting Gonzalez’s business, saying the garage attachment is a “monstrosity.”
“Everyone in Coalville is saying it, and everyone in Coalville hates her,” Denise yells while gesturing to Wood’s campaign sign.
Gonzalez turns to go back to his house, but Denise and Sheldon can be heard heckling him from the street until the recording ends.
The Summit County Attorney’s Office charged Denise with a class B misdemeanor for assault on Sept. 23, according to court documents. Her pretrial conference is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Nov. 18.
Gonzalez additionally sought individual civil stalking injunctions against the couple, but Third District Court Judge Richard Mrazik determined there was not enough evidence against Sheldon.
However, Mrazik did grant a temporary injunction for the petition involving Denise, which means she is not allowed to contact or be near Gonzalez as the case proceeds. Court records indicate Denise is fighting the injunction, and a hearing will be scheduled at a later date.
If Mrazik sides with Gonzalez, then the temporary injunction will become permanent and remain in effect for another three years. Violating a civil stalking injunction can lead to criminal charges.
A call for ‘some sanity’
Both Wood and Swensen have condemned what they see as a growing political divide among Coalville residents as the city inches closer to Election Day. Neither candidate has specifically mentioned the confrontation between Gonzalez and the Smiths despite the story’s widespread circulation on social media.
Swensen over the weekend published what he called a plea “for some sanity” on his website, decrying the polarization of local politics. He said that while he may not agree with Wood’s vision for the city, he did not doubt that she loves Coalville and hopes to work with her in the future.
“We must reject the temptation to villainize,” Swensen said. “We can debate forcefully and advocate passionately — but at the end of the day, we must remember that our differences make us stronger. They contribute to this tapestry that is America.”
Wood posted a similar call for unity on Sunday, Sept. 21, the day after Denise allegedly slapped Gonzalez. She asked her supporters to approach differing opinions with questions and conversations rather than anger and arguments.
“You might be surprised at what you learn and how much we actually share in our hopes for Coalville,” Wood said on Facebook. “At the end of the day, elections come and go, but we will still be neighbors. Let’s seek to listen first and look for common ground — because it’s on that common ground where our community will truly thrive.”
In an interview with The Park Record, Wood said she hopes city residents won’t dwell on the altercation, adding she would prefer to leave the negativity behind.
“It’s concerning to see that kind of rage directed at you,” Wood said. “I’m hoping this is an incident that’s not going to repeat itself. I hope (the Smiths) have realized that behavior is just not acceptable.”
Wood said she could think of two incidents that caused tension between her and Sheldon in recent years, both of which she said were “well documented” by local media outlets: the ordinance introduced earlier this year, and a request from City Council to obtain a second legal opinion regarding a development agreement.
The second opinion ultimately disagreed with Sheldon’s advice, according to Wood.
But Coalville has a few key items to consider over the next few months, namely the ongoing Wohali bankruptcy proceedings and a potential annexation agreement with Larry H. Miller if the company decides to propose the Hidden Meadow subdivision for a second time. For that reason, the City Council is working to expand its legal team, which may have caused an additional strain on Wood’s relationship with the Smiths, she said.
“I think there are really only two people who can answer what was in their minds to cause that kind of rage,” Wood added. “It seems like none of those things would have caused that much rage, so I don’t know.”
Wood said she’s getting more requests for campaign signs than she was before the altercation, despite her fears that the situation would deter voters from wanting to support her publicly.
“What that says more than anything is that we’re not going to be intimidated by this kind of behavior,” she said. “We’re going to state our voice, whether you’re voting for me or my opponent. We should be free to express those First Amendment rights in the ways we see fit.”