(José Niño, Headline USA) Blake Cozzens, a former chairman of the Iron County Republican Party, called a news station from jail on Saturday to deny charges that he kidnapped and abused his wife, asserting that prosecutors have overstepped in bringing the case against him.
Cozzens, 36, reached out to FOX 13 News from Purgatory Jail in Hurricane to contest the allegations filed by Washington County, Utah prosecutors following his weekend arrest. The charges stem from an incident on July 1, 2025 when he was driving on Interstate 15 near New Harmony with his wife, Dannilyn, and their 3-year-old daughter.
Charging documents state that Cozzens became violent during the drive, with his wife beginning to film him with her phone. He allegedly took the phone and threw it into the backseat, then grabbed and twisted her wrist when she said she would call 911.
Former Iron County GOP chairman Blake Cozzens to remain jailed on federal embezzlement charges until December sentencing https://t.co/4F1UHvAXr8
— FOX 13 News Utah (@fox13) October 21, 2025
Court documents indicate he pulled off the freeway, let his wife out of the vehicle, and drove away with their daughter before returning and forcing her back into the car despite her protests.
In his phone call from jail, Cozzens disputed this account, saying that he and his wife both struggled with each other in the car and that she asked to step out in the first place.
“I did not leave her on the side of the road; rather, I pulled ahead so traffic could go by,” Cozzens said to FOX 13.
Dannilyn maintains through her attorney that she was forced back into the vehicle. According to court documents that KUTV cited, Cozzens allegedly threatened that “they would take her daughter and deport her because she is not a U.S. Citizen.” Dannilyn Cozzens is in the United States on a spouse visa from the Philippines.
Cozzens acknowledged that another driver called 911 but said he “doesn’t know why”, per a report by FOX 13.
The arrest represents the latest legal trouble for Cozzens, who resigned from the Iron County Republican Party in 2018 after being arrested in a prostitution sting operation.
Earlier this year, he pleaded guilty in federal court to wire fraud and bank fraud charges, admitting to defrauding victims of over $2.1 million through embezzlement from a homeowners association he managed and a scheme involving fraudulent cashier’s checks presented to Las Vegas casinos.
He was released in April 2025 after having testicular cancer removed and is awaiting sentencing scheduled for December. Federal authorities had revoked his pretrial release earlier this month based on the July domestic violence incident and a September incident at a Cedar City hotel, but he was released the following day with a monitoring bracelet.
According to William Palmer, Dannilyn’s attorney, she filed for divorce early last month, and she and her daughter are now in an undisclosed location for safety reasons.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office said it appreciates law enforcement coordination in the arrest and plans to move forward with the case. A first hearing is expected within the week.
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
