Sugarleaf Church First Civil Federal Victory - 9-25-2025 - Defendant's South Salt Lake City Police Department Utah, "Surrenders" to the First Amended Complaint, Rev. Lepp, Appearing In Pro Persona.

Sugarleaf Church News – September 25, 2025

Most Divine Victory Alert for Sugarleaf Church and the August 4th, 2025 Salt City and Blackhouse Sanctuary Unlawful Raids: South Salt Lake City Police Department Surrenders in Civil Federal Fight – District Attorney Gill's Defiance and Discrimination Exposed, But We Stand Strong!

Sacred Ones,

In the sacred rhythm of light piercing through shadow, the Divine has graced us with a profound triumph. Since 2014, in a journey of steadfast resistance, Sugarleaf Churches, our branches, and members, may now stand in the highest gratitude of awe for our most monumental victory in the Utah federal civil case (Lepp et al. v. South Salt Lake Police Dept., No. 2:25-cv-00675-TS-DBP). South Salt Lake Police Department, Chief Jack Carruth, and Detective Christian Felix, and Does have surrendered, choosing not to oppose our First Amended Complaint! 

This non-opposition (confirmed September 24 by their attorney Heather White) is Reverend Heidi Lepp’s first RFRA monumental federal civil victory, capping a legacy of 30+ criminal state level RFRA triumphs where courts dismissed charges, refused to file charges, refused to even hear our case, and ordered the return of properties and 30,000 pounds of sacred Sacraments to Sugarleaf Church. 

No longer can rogue bureaucrats hide behind "good faith" warrants that ignore double jeopardy and constitutional rights in cases like Yuba County v. Reverend Heidi Lepp (Sugarleaf Church), No. CRF17-01752-01 (Cal. Super. Ct. Yuba Cnty. 2017–2019) or Jensen v. Utah County's binding injunctions (raids just 123 days after the Feb. 20 injunction and 24 hours after the August 4 order barring seizures without RFRA review). Price tags on Sacred Sacraments for remuneration in a church? Not probable cause for AR-15’s in our face unless you're including holy water as “contraband”. Our FAC and Motion for Contempt exposes the hypocrisy, the bad faith, and the animus history toward our faith.

But the shadow lingers and we are not done fighting in this case or our other 9 pending cases by any means: State Defendants (Utah AG's Office, USBI, UDAF, Sean Reyes, Thomas Burnham, Gary Perea) refuse to stipulate, clinging to Younger abstention until Judge Stewart rules (Hopkins email, Sept. 25). We know Younger crumbles under bad faith (Kugler v. Helfant, 421 U.S. 117 (1975)), Jensen's findings of "actual notice" ignored and government defiance estop them (Allen v. McCurry, 449 U.S. 90 (1980)). And Sim Gill? As Salt Lake County DA and chief law officer, he's also defying federal supremacy (DOJ RFRA Guidance 2017, Exec. Order 13798) by pushing an illogical, false defense, retaliatory charges against Rev. Joshua Roberts (10/10 hearing) and Rev. Aaron O’Connor (Sept. 5 filing) post-suit harassment that chills our worship (Elrod v. Burns, 427 U.S. 347 (1976)).

We thank all of our Members for their continued support and honor the risks you all take in the name of the Sacred. Please keep one another in prayer and meditation. One day there will be no more raids on our Churches, no more silencing us, and justice will prevail. The Divine always intervenes. Forward in Entheogenic Faith!

In Unbreakable Unity,

Rev. Heidi Lepp, Founder

Rev. Aaron O’Connor & Rev. Joshua Roberts

Sugarleaf Church – Salt City & Blackhouse Sanctuaries

saltcitysanctuary@gmail.com  www.sugarleafchurch.com