Utah County Attorney David Leavitt demanded county sheriff Mike Smith resign from his post after Smith published a 151-page "report" implicating Leavitt in a “ritualistic” sex ring known for “cannibalizing young children.”
The report names Leavitt and his wife as part of this story circulated among adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory. The report claims the abuse of young children took place between 1990 and 2010 across three separate counties in the state of Utah.
You can hear Leavitt's remarks in the video below.
QAnon, whose believers allege Democrats are part of a Satan-worshipping, baby-eating global pedophile ring that conspired against former President Donald Trump during his time in office, counts Smith among its adherents.
Lately, a new conspiracy has developed alleging progressives are raping and eating young children, raising tensions in Utah County.
Smith has stood firm, accusing Leavitt of interfering in an ongoing investigation, telling reporters:
"“I believe that Leavitt is using his authority and his pulpit to bully, distract and mischaracterize the facts of an ongoing investigation."
"We don’t talk about who is under investigation.”
Although Smith has said that no one was personally named in the report, Leavitt says that he and his wife were named on purpose a week before ballots were sent out, an act that could endanger his bid for re-election.
He has called for Smith to resign:
“I am calling upon Sheriff Mike Smith to open his office to an outside investigation, where outside, independent investigators are able to investigate and confirm or deny that documents from a debunked investigation from more than a decade ago were or were not used for political purposes in a Utah County Attorney’s race."
"The allegation that I am asserting is that the sheriff’s office is using its position for political gain and accusing them of abusing and cannibalizing and murdering children."
"And no, I will not step aside.”
Smith has denied that the report is a smear campaign though Leavitt has noted that the two men have not gotten along well since Smith endorsed a more like-minded conservative in the Utah County attorney race.
"This is not political," he said, adding:
“This is something we take very, very seriously. This is some of the most egregious crimes that happen in our community, when our children are victimized at this level.”
The news quickly went viral, leaving many onlookers dumbfounded.
\u201cWhoa. This gets weirder and weirder. What is it about Utah County?\u201d— \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 In Utah Not Of Utah (Non-Political) \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 In Utah Not Of Utah (Non-Political) \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1654128806
\u201cMan, Utah County politics is really juicy.\u201d— Schwa\ud83d\ude4f\u26c8\ufe0f \u04d9 (@Schwa\ud83d\ude4f\u26c8\ufe0f \u04d9) 1654115220
\u201cUTAH? \n\nUtah County Attorney addresses murdering and eating children allegations, calls for Utah County Sheriff to resign https://t.co/KSPvWgNXZb\u201d— DammitJanet1776 (@DammitJanet1776) 1654133372
\u201cSomething real normal is going on here. https://t.co/HiFD4ij79S\u201d— computer god (@computer god) 1654131955
\u201cWhat is going on in Utah County??\u201d— Sorry, this is my first pandemic (@Sorry, this is my first pandemic) 1654111324
\u201cI\u2019m not a huge Leavitt fan, but this whole situation is really odd. The vagueness and timing here appear questionable.\u201d— \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 Slava Ukraini, heroyam slava! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 (@\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6 Slava Ukraini, heroyam slava! \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6) 1654113966
\u201cLet's just check in and see how things are going in Utah...\n\nOh\n\nOh my\u201d— CavsKermit (@CavsKermit) 1654271081
\u201cThis is just super freaky!\u201d— Sandra Jones (@Sandra Jones) 1654279983
\u201cHeadlines you thought you would never see!\ud83e\udd14\ud83d\ude09\ud83e\udd2f\nChaos erupted in an election for Utah County Attorney after incumbent David Leavitt was forced to deny QAnon-style claims that he and his wife engaged in cannibalism and ritual sex abuse of children.\nhttps://t.co/mheAVsVl0l\u201d— \ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f Bob Lawrence --Obama is #1 (@\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f Bob Lawrence --Obama is #1) 1654192655
Conspiracies about child sex trafficking and cannibalism are par for the course in the world of QAnon, whose eponymous "Q," the anonymous individual or individuals from whom many of these conspiracies originate, has sowed considerable political discord nationwide.
Earlier this year, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, announced it would close indefinitely after Republican QAnon conspiracists demanded "to see all the illegals crossing on the raft," alleging the sanctuary's dock is being used to smuggle migrants for human trafficking purposes.
The Houston Chronicle reported "threats against the center escalated in recent days," including one instance when executive director Marianna Treviño-Wright was accused by Virginia GOP congressional candidate Kimberly Lowe of using the center to permit "children being sex trafficked and raped and murdered."
The center closed, citing security concerns. It reopened in April, in time for Earth Day, after a more than two-month shutdown.
