WEBER COUNTY, Utah — The former president of the Utah Farm Bureau will be placed on probation after agreeing to a plea deal for assaulting one of his own farm employees.
Ron Gibson entered a guilty plea Wednesday for the Class B misdemeanor assault charge against him. As part of the agreement, Gibson was given a 90-day suspended jail sentence and placed on 12 months probation, and is required to serve 20 hours of community service.
In August 2023, Gibson was arrested for hitting a worker on his Ogden farm. After calling 911, the employee said Gibson struck him after he and his coworkers complained about not getting paid. According to the employee, Gibson had failed to pay the crew its last four paychecks.
Video shared by the employee allegedly showed Gibson telling the man to shut up and slap him on the face with the back of his hand. The employee was later transported to a local hospital.
In the days after the arrest, Gibson resigned from his position as head of the Utah Farm Bureau.
At the time, the Weber County Sheriff's Office said its investigation "brought to light allegations of fraud and human trafficking." On Monday, the sheriff's office said it had turned the case over to the State Bureau of Investigation.
