Park City Councilman charged with disorderly conduct

Jeremy Rubell. Photo: Jeremy Rubell for City Council 2021

PARK CITY, Utah — Park City Councilman Jeremy Rubell was charged with disorderly conduct last week for an incident with a White Pine Touring ski instructor that took place in December.

Disorderly conduct is a class C misdemeanor charge and carries possible jail time of 90 days and a fine of up to $750.

According to charging documents, a Nordic ski instructor employed by White Pine Touring was instructing three Park City residents in cross country skiing.

The instructor and his students, a husband, wife, and their teenaged daughter, were standing on the number one tee of the Park City Golf Club, which serves as a cross-country ski track for White Pine touring, and sits adjacent to Rubell’s home on Thaynes Canyon Drive.

The ski instructor reported that Rubell was blowing snow off of his back deck at the time, and raised his middle finger at the ski instructor, who returned the gesture.

“He observed that Mr. Rubell ‘immediately lost his cool and launched into a profanity-laden tirade,'” said charging documents. “He heard Mr. Rubell say, ‘You f-ers are always doing this … don’t worry, we’re going to shut you f-ers down.'”

The ski students confirmed in charging documents that Rubell was “cursing and dropping f-bombs” and that his conduct was “unfortunate.”

A statement made by Rubell conveys a different series of events. According to Rubell, the White Pine touring ski instructor has a long history of aggression toward his family. He states that he was shoveling snow from his deck when the instructor began to make remarks directed at him, and when he stopped to ask what the problem was, the ski instructor raised his middle fingers in the air and called Rubell profane names.

“I responded ‘very nice, I’m just shoveling my deck, my 7-year-old kid is right here,'” Rubell said in a statement. “I’m not really sure what his issue was outside of my presence outside my home, and shoveling a private deck on private property should not be much of a concern to an instructor from White Pine Touring or his students in performing the duties of his job.”

Rubell stated that he spoke with representatives from White Pine Touring after the incident in the hope that management would address their employee’s “bad behavior” without the need to file a police report.

“The fact that any of this behavior is happening is very disappointing, as I stubbornly continue to believe in the positive intent of all people in our wonderful community,” Rubell said in a statement. “Matters of common decency should neither require law enforcement resources nor legal intervention.”