Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Filed Against American Fork Police Department in Reckless Ben Lego Investigation

Radner Law Group and Spencer Fane LLP file 19-count complaint alleges unlawful stops, fabricated warrant affidavit, and armed Airbnb raid—police chief admits department "screwed up"

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Four Utah residents have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah against the City of American Fork and 13 officers and detectives, alleging a pattern of unconstitutional stops, searches, and arrests over four days in March 2026. None of the plaintiffs—Sheldon Norcross, Tyler Shaw, Sierra Lauts, and Steven Allen—have been charged with any crime arising from these events.

According to the complaint, the plaintiffs were assisting investigative YouTuber Benjamin Schneider, known online as Reckless Ben, in documenting a civil dispute over a $200,000 Lego Star Wars collection belonging to an Oregon family and in attempting to serve civil process on a Utah resident connected to that dispute.

The complaint describes four incidents over four days. On March 8, Officer Richardson stopped Tyler Shaw's vehicle for a stop-sign violation that Chief Paul has since stated, on the record, he does not believe occurred. The following evening, officers stopped Shaw again and held him for approximately two hours. According to the complaint, Officer Hawkins' in-car camera recorded him stating before administering sobriety tests: "I was gonna scare him a little bit and let him go." Shaw registered .000 on a breath test. Officers nonetheless called a drug-detection dog, allegedly claimed it alerted, and searched his vehicle. Nothing was found.

On March 10, the complaint alleges Sierra Lauts was detained while lawfully attempting to serve court papers and notified she was trespassed from property she had never entered—even after officers confirmed with the issuing court that the papers were authentic and service was still required.

On March 11, according to the complaint, officers seized Sheldon Norcross's phone and arrested him after he invoked his right to remain silent and executed a search warrant at the plaintiffs' Airbnb rental. Chief Paul has stated in a recorded meeting that the affidavit supporting the warrant represented "one of the biggest places where we screwed up" and was not reviewed by a supervisor as department policy required. All occupants, including a 16-year-old, were handcuffed at gunpoint, transported to the police station, and released without charges.

"Our clients had their constitutional rights violated repeatedly over four days, and this lawsuit lays out more than a dozen specific violations we believe the evidence supports," said lead counsel Solomon M. Radner of Radner Law Group. "We are not anti-police, but we are anti-police corruption, and pro-accountability, because constitutional rights only mean something if they apply equally to everyone, including the officers who swore an oath to uphold them."

"These are Utah residents who were doing nothing wrong—serving court papers, hanging a sign, driving a car," said Spencer Fane attorney Scott Young, local counsel. "What the evidence shows is that American Fork officers targeted them repeatedly without legal justification, and the city's own police chief has acknowledged it."

A press conference will be held Wednesday, October 14, 2026 at 10:00 AM MDT at the Newhouse Building, 11th Floor, 10 Exchange Place, Salt Lake City, Utah. All four plaintiffs and both attorneys will be present. Private interviews available following.

About Radner Law Group
Radner Law Group, PLLC is a national civil rights law firm based in Southfield, Michigan at 17515 W. 9 Mile Rd., Suite 1050, representing individuals whose constitutional rights have been violated by law enforcement and government actors. Solomon M. Radner is applying to appear pro hac vice for this matter.

About Spencer Fane LLP
Scott Young is a trial attorney at Spencer Fane LLP, serving as local counsel in this matter, with offices at 10 Exchange Place, Newhouse Building, Salt Lake City, Utah.

SOURCE Radner Law Group