Cody Greenland

On April 17, 2020, American Fork police arrested Cody Greenland near the Target parking lot after responding to a report of a man possibly entering vehicles.

According to Greenland’s federal complaint, he was kneeling with his hands raised when Derek T. Cannon tackled him from behind and struck him. The complaint describes officers pinning Greenland to the ground while Quinn J. Adamson used a Taser on him multiple times.

Greenland later filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit alleging unlawful seizure, excessive force, failure to intervene, and failures in department policies, training, and supervision.

All five charges in the related criminal case were dismissed with prejudice on August 5, 2021. American Fork City settled the civil lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. The parties agreed to dismiss the lawsuit, and the court dismissed it with prejudice on July 21, 2022.

The roles below summarize Greenland’s federal complaint, pages 7–9. These are allegations, not court findings.

Derek T. Cannon — The complaint states that Cannon ran toward Greenland, tackled him from behind while he was kneeling with his hands raised, punched him in the face, and pounded his face against the pavement.

Caleb M. Kinnaman and Christopher Slate Blackburn — Kinnaman made the initial contact and, according to the complaint, grabbed Greenland’s arms and shoved him backward. Blackburn was among the officers surrounding Greenland before Cannon arrived. The complaint alleges that both failed to stop Cannon and describes the officers collectively pinning Greenland down, without specifying each officer’s hold.

Quinn J. Adamson — The complaint alleges that Adamson used a Taser on Greenland multiple times without warning while officers pinned him down. It also alleges that Adamson failed to stop Cannon’s use of force.

Criminal Case History: The detailed XChange history includes the charges, dispositions, hearing minutes, and procedural timeline. Page 14 contains the August 5, 2021 dismissal entry and its reference to sentencing on other matters.

Criminal Case Document Filings: The shorter XChange history lists the charges and dispositions alongside an index of filed documents and court events. It identifies filings available through XChange; it does not contain the underlying filings themselves.

Affidavit of Probable Cause: Caleb Kinnaman’s account of the reported suspicious activity, officers’ efforts to detain Greenland, alleged resistance, and suspected drugs and paraphernalia found during searches. This is the officer’s stated basis for the arrest, rather than a court finding that the allegations were proved.

The complaint names S. Blackburn (Christopher Slate Blackburn) among the defendant officers.

PACER Court Docket: The filing index and procedural history for the federal lawsuit, from its February 28, 2022 filing through the dismissal entered on July 21, 2022. The final entry states that all claims were dismissed with prejudice and each party would bear its own attorney fees and costs.

Federal Complaint — Document 2: Filed February 28, 2022, the complaint presents Greenland’s account of the encounter and alleged injuries, including a concussion, damaged fingers, ringing in his ears, and PTSD. It sets out claims against the officers and city. These are Greenland’s allegations, rather than findings by the court.

Rule 68 Offer of Judgment — Document 16: Filed April 1, 2022, the defendants offered $25,000, inclusive of damages, costs, interest, and attorney fees, with 14 days to accept. The offer alone does not establish the amount ultimately paid to resolve the lawsuit.

Attorney Planning Meeting Report — Document 17: Filed April 8, 2022, this joint report summarizes the claims and defenses and proposes deadlines and limits for discovery, expert reports, and preparation for trial.

Stipulation of Dismissal With Prejudice — Document 19: Filed July 20, 2022, the parties jointly requested dismissal of the entire lawsuit with prejudice, with each side bearing its own costs and attorney fees. The stipulation does not state a settlement amount or admit liability.

FOX 13 News Utah: Spencer Joseph reports on the lawsuit’s allegations, the body-camera footage, and Greenland’s account of his injuries and the continuing effects of the encounter. The article states that AFPD had not yet responded to the lawsuit at the time of reporting.

LackLuster: Coverage of the encounter focusing on the officer tackling Greenland from behind while he was kneeling with his hands raised. The video’s title reports that the lawsuit was settled.

Ray Caldwell: A retired police sergeant’s analysis of the body-camera footage, the force used against Greenland, other officers’ responsibility to intervene, and the later civil lawsuit.

Legal Logic: Commentary comparing the body-camera footage with federal excessive-force decisions and discussing Taser use, the duty to intervene, and Greenland’s civil-rights lawsuit.